Nottingham Forest have agreed a deal to sign Sporting centre-back Ousmane Diomande after reviving their long-running pursuit.
The deal gives Oliver Glasner another building block as he prepares for his first season at the City Ground.
Forest appointed Glasner in July after Vitor Pereira guided them to Premier League safety and the Europa League semi-finals before leaving the club.
The former Crystal Palace boss has favoured a back three, making another mobile centre back an obvious priority.
Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo remain proven options, while Morato and Jair Cunha provide further depth. Diomande, however, offers the pace and confidence in possession needed to defend higher up the pitch.
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Ousmane Diomande’s career-defining moments so far |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Date |
Club or country |
Defining moment |
Why it mattered |
|
January 2020 |
Midtjylland |
Left Ivory Coast academy Olympic Sport Abobo to join Midtjylland’s youth system. |
It was his first move into European football and began a rapid rise through Denmark and Portugal. |
|
6 August 2022 |
Mafra |
Made his senior debut during a 3-1 Liga Portugal 2 defeat against Oliveirense. |
The loan finally gave Diomande regular first team football after two years developing at Midtjylland. |
|
31 January 2023 |
Sporting |
Joined Sporting for an initial €7.5million after only 17 senior appearances for Mafra. |
Sporting moved early after recognising his potential, immediately placing an €80 million release clause in his contract. |
|
16 March 2023 |
Sporting |
Played the full 120 minutes as Sporting eliminated Arsenal from the Europa League on penalties. He also produced a late goal-line block to deny Gabriel. |
This was his first major performance on an elite European stage, less than two months after leaving Portugal’s second division. |
|
21 May 2023 |
Sporting |
Scored his first Sporting goal with a header against Benfica in a 2-2 Lisbon derby draw. |
Opening his account in the club’s biggest fixture made the moment particularly memorable. |
|
21 September 2023 |
Sporting |
Scored his first European goal, an 84th-minute winner in a 2-1 Europa League victory at Sturm Graz. |
He secured three important European points. |
|
6 January 2024 |
Ivory Coast |
Scored his first senior international goal during a 5-1 win over Sierra Leone. |
The goal arrived shortly before Ivory Coast hosted the Africa Cup of Nations. |
|
11 February 2024 |
Ivory Coast |
Won the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, having appeared in the group matches against Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria. |
It delivered the first major international honour of his career, although he did not feature during the knockout rounds. |
|
5 May 2024 |
Sporting |
Became a Portuguese champion for the first time. |
Diomande was an important member of Sporting’s title-winning defence and was selected in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year. |
|
10 May 2025 |
Sporting |
Reached 100 Sporting appearances during a league derby against Benfica. |
He achieved the landmark only two years and three months after joining the club. |
|
17 May 2025 |
Sporting |
Helped Sporting retain the Primeira Liga title with a final-day victory over Vitória Guimarães. |
Sporting won consecutive league championships for the first time in 71 years, while Diomande earned another Team of the Year place. |
|
25 May 2025 |
Sporting |
Added the Portuguese Cup after Sporting defeated Benfica 3-1 following extra time. |
The victory completed Sporting’s first league and cup double since 2001/02. |
|
23 January 2026 |
Sporting |
Signed a new contract running until 2030, retaining his €80million release clause. |
The improved agreement reflected his development into one of Sporting’s most valuable players. |
|
28 January 2026 |
Sporting |
Scored his first Champions League goal during a dramatic 3-2 victory away to Athletic Club. |
The result secured Sporting a top-eight league-phase finish and automatic progress to the last 16. |
|
March 2026 |
Sporting |
Helped Sporting overturn a three-goal deficit against Bodø/Glimt to reach the Champions League quarter-finals. |
It was Sporting’s deepest run in Europe’s leading competition during Diomande’s time in Lisbon. |
Forest have otherwise remained patient in the market.
Austria midfielder Xaver Schlager became their first senior summer signing on a free transfer from RB Leipzig. The sale of Elliot Anderson to Man City for £116 million has also provided substantial room for more deals.
Diomande represents a smart piece of business.
The 22-year-old started his development in the Ivory Coast with Olympic Sport Abobo before moving to Danish club Midtjylland in 2020.
His breakthrough came during a loan at Portuguese second division side Mafra. Sporting were impressed enough to sign him in January 2023 for an initial £6.4 million.
That proved to be outstanding business.
Diomande has made 132 competitive appearances for Sporting, scoring seven goals, while helping the Lisbon club win consecutive league titles in 2024 and 2025.
He also collected an Africa Cup of Nations winners’ medal with the Ivory Coast in 2024, and while his latest campaign was disrupted by muscle problems, but he still played 31 times in all competitions.
That included nine Champions League appearances and 17 league outings.
Diomande signed a new Sporting contract until 2030 in January, retaining a £71 million release clause. Forest therefore faced difficult negotiations from the beginning.
Their pursuit appeared to have collapsed this week after reports in Portugal claimed a major disagreement had developed between the clubs.
However, talks were quickly revived and Forest have now secured the breakthrough Glasner wanted.
Nottingham Forest agree deal for Ousmane Diomande with medical tomorrow
Fabrizio Romano reports that Diomande will join now Forest as an agreement finally reached with Sporting.
The guaranteed fee is around £34 million, with The Athletic separately reporting that a further £4 million could be payable through bonuses.
Romano says Diomande will remain with Sporting’s squad for Saturday night’s opening league fixture against Estrela da Amadora.
He is then expected to fly to England on Sunday and undergo his medical before signing his Forest contract.
Sporting have already moved to replace him by agreeing a deal for Ibrahima Ba.
Diomande’s arrival will give Glasner the specialist defender required to complete a powerful back three alongside Milenkovic and Murillo.
There will be an adjustment period after moving from Portugal, particularly following last season’s injury issues, but Forest are signing a defender with top level experience, Champions League pedigree and room to develop even more.
After a transfer that appeared dead only days ago, Forest have acted decisively to land one of Glasner’s priority targets.
