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Nottingham Forest have officially announced the signing of Ivorian defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP for a reported fee of €34 million, according to BBC Sport Football.

The 22-year-old has signed a four-year deal with Forest, with an option for a further year. “I’m very happy to be here. It’s a historic club, and that motivates me to join such a team,” Diomande said. “I believe we can achieve great things this season, and I’m looking forward to meeting the players and the manager. I’ll give it my all.” Forest’s new manager, Oliver Glasner, favours a 3-5-2 system, and Diomande is expected to form a three-man defensive partnership with Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo. The centre-back has earned 15 caps for Ivory Coast and was part of his country’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, featuring in a group-stage match against Curaçao. Diomande began his career at Olympic Sport Abobo in his homeland before moving to Danish side FC Midtjylland and then Sporting in January 2023. At Sporting, he made 132 first-team appearances, helping secure back-to-back Portuguese league titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He also featured in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals, where Sporting were eliminated by Arsenal. Glasner, who took charge at Forest this summer, is a known admirer of Diomande and had previously attempted to sign him while managing Crystal Palace. “He has fantastic experience for a defender of his age,” said George Syrianos, Forest’s sporting director. “Having played key roles in title-winning teams and reaching the latter stages of the Champions League puts him in a great position to settle in quickly at Forest.”“Ousmane is a strong, dominant defender and arrives with a winning mentality,” he added. Diomande’s arrival follows that of Austrian midfielder Xaver Schlager, who joined on a free transfer in July.