Nottingham Forest have signed Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting on a four-year deal. Forest will pay a fixed fee of around £34.3m (€40m) for the 22-year-old centre-back after weeks of negotiations. Head coach Oliver Glasner drove the club's interest after trying to sign him at his former side Crystal Palace.

Diomande has spent the last four seasons at Sporting, playing 132 times, scoring seven goals and winning the Primeira Liga twice. He helped Sporting reach the Champions League knockout stages and win a domestic double in the 2024/25 season, while being part of the Ivory Coast squad that won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in eight years. Diomande has earned 15 caps for his country and made one appearance at this summer's World Cup.

On signing for Forest, Diomande said: "I am very happy to be here. It is a historic club, and it motivates me to join such a club. I believe we can achieve very good things this season and I will give my best." Chief football officer George Syrianos added: "He has fantastic experience for a defender of his age. Ousmane is a powerful, commanding defender, and arrives here with a winning mentality."