Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Ivory Coast international Ousmane Diomande from Portuguese champions Sporting CP for a reported £34 million, the Premier League club announced Tuesday.
The 22-year-old central defender has agreed to a four-year contract with an option for a further season. Diomande, who has 15 caps for his country and appeared at the 2026 World Cup, is expected to slot into new manager Oliver Glasner’s preferred 3-5-2 formation alongside Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo.
Diomande made 132 first-team appearances for Sporting, helping the club secure back-to-back Primeira Liga titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25, and reached the Champions League quarter-finals last season.
Forest chief football officer George Syrianos cited Diomande’s “winning mentality” and experience in title-winning and European campaigns.
Glasner, a long-time admirer who previously tried to sign the defender at Crystal Palace, takes over at Forest this summer. Diomande is the club’s second signing of the window following Austria midfielder Xaver Schlager, who joined on a free transfer in July.
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