Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for a reported £34m. The 22-year-old has agreed a four-year deal, with Forest holding an option for a further year.
Diomande said he was excited to join a historic club and is eager to meet his new teammates and head coach, promising to give his best. Under new manager Oliver Glasner, who prefers a 3-5-2 setup, he is expected to feature on the right of a back three alongside Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo. Glasner has long admired Diomande and previously tried to recruit him while at Crystal Palace.
Capped 15 times by Ivory Coast, Diomande was part of the 2026 World Cup squad and played in a group-stage win over Curacao. He began at Olympic Sport Abobo, moved to FC Midtjylland, and joined Sporting in January 2023. He made 132 appearances for the Lisbon side, helping them win consecutive league titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25, and reach last season’s Champions League quarter-finals before narrowly losing to Arsenal.
Forest’s chief football officer, George Syrianos, praised Diomande’s experience, leadership and winning mentality, saying his background in title-winning teams and deep European runs should ease his transition. His arrival follows the free-transfer signing of Austria midfielder Xaver Schlager in July.