Nottingham Forest lodge £32 million bid for Ousmane Diomande | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest have submitted a £32 million bid for Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande, according to The Telegraph.

The Tricky Trees are also close to completing a deal for Austria international Xaver Schlager.

Forest are in advanced negotiations with Sporting as they look to finalise an agreement for the Ivory Coast centre-back during their pre-season training camp in Portugal.

The 22-year-old has emerged as the club’s leading defensive target after new head coach Oliver Glasner made strengthening the rearguard a priority.

Glasner is planning to implement a three-man defence at the City Ground, with Forest identifying Diomande as the ideal option to operate on the right side of the back three.

The Premier League club have monitored the highly-rated defender for more than a year and believe now is the right time to make their move.

Sporting are understood to value Diomande between £30m and £35m, with discussions between the clubs progressing positively.

The Ivory Coast international, who shares a dressing room with Forest’s Ibrahim Sangare at international level, is viewed as one of the most exciting young defenders in European football.

Forest are also expected to complete the signing of former RB Leipzig midfielder Xaver Schlager within the next 48 hours.

The 28-year-old is travelling to the club’s Algarve training base for a medical before signing an initial two-year contract as a free agent.

Interest also remains in Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall, while talks continue over new deals for Neco Williams and Sangare.

Landing Diomande would be one of the standout signings of Forest’s recent history.

Europe’s elite, including Chelsea, Arsenal, and Paris Saint-Germain, have tracked the commanding defender for several seasons.

Forest moving decisively to secure his signature would underline their ambition under Glasner and demonstrate they have an exciting project.

Diomande already combines physical dominance, composure in possession and top-level experience, making him an ideal cornerstone for Forest’s new-look defence.