Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting in a deal worth a reported £34m.
Ousmane Diomande, 22, has signed a four-year contract at the City Ground, with Forest holding an option to extend the agreement by another year.
Diomande becomes the latest addition to new manager Oliver Glasner’s squad as Forest look to strengthen ahead of the new season.
“I am very happy to be here. It is a historic club, and it motivates me to join such a club,” said Diomande.
“I believe we can achieve very good things this season and I am looking forward to meeting the players and head coach. I will give my best.”
Glasner favours a 3-5-2 formation, with Diomande expected to slot into a back three alongside Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo.
The defender has won 15 caps for Ivory Coast and was included in his country’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. He made one appearance in the tournament, featuring in the group-stage victory over Curacao.
Diomande began his career with Olympic Sport Abobo in Ivory Coast before moving to Danish club FC Midtjylland. Sporting signed him in January 2023.
He went on to make 132 first-team appearances for the Lisbon club and played a key role as Sporting won back-to-back Portuguese league titles in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
He was also involved as Sporting reached the Champions League quarter-finals last season, where they were eliminated by Arsenal.
Glasner is a long-standing admirer of Diomande and previously attempted to sign him during his time as Crystal Palace manager.
Forest chief football officer George Syrianos believes the defender’s experience will help him settle quickly at the club.
“He has fantastic experience for a defender of his age,” said Syrianos.
“Playing a crucial role in title-winning teams and going into the latter stages of the Champions League puts him in a great position to integrate well at Forest.
“Ousmane is a powerful, commanding defender, and arrives with a winning mentality.”
Diomande’s move follows Forest’s signing of Austria midfielder Xaver Schlager on a free transfer in July.
