Nottingham Forest sign Ousmane Diomande from Sporting in £34m deal
Nottingham Forest have signed Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for a reported £34m, tying the 22-year-old to a four-year contract with an option for a further year. BBC Sport
The deal, worth around €40 million, was first reported as an exclusive by David Ornstein of The Athletic on 8 August. The Athletic Goal.com corroborated the fee the same day. Goal.com
Diomande arrives at the City Ground with a substantial body of work behind him. He made 132 first-team appearances for Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese club he joined as a teenager, and has earned 15 caps for the Ivory Coast national team. He also represented his country at the 2026 World Cup. BBC Sport
In his first words as a Forest player, Diomande struck a note that will resonate with a fanbase steeped in European Cup history. He said he was "very happy" to join the club, calling it "a historic club." BBC Sport
There is a neat circularity to this transfer. On 31 July, Sporting faced Nottingham Forest in a preseason friendly in the Algarve and won comfortably, 4-1. Sporting CP Less than two weeks later, one of the players from that Sporting side is wearing Forest colours.
Diomande's time in Lisbon had its highs and lows. He was part of the Sporting side that suffered a 5-1 defeat in the Champions League in November 2024 — the club's first loss in that competition. Sporting CP But he also proved his reliability over long stretches, returning from injury in October 2024 to reclaim a starting spot when manager Rúben Amorim needed him. Sporting CP
For Forest, this is a statement of intent. A club that spent last season establishing itself in the Premier League is now spending serious money on a centre-back who has already played at a World Cup. Diomande is young enough to grow with the project and experienced enough to contribute immediately — 132 senior appearances before your 23rd birthday is no small thing.
For Sporting, the sale continues a familiar pattern. The Portuguese champions have built a reputation for developing talent and selling it on at a premium, and Diomande is the latest to follow that well-trodden path from Lisbon to a bigger league.
