Nottingham Forest are closing in on the signing of Ousmane Diomande after reaching a full agreement with Sporting for the highly rated Ivory Coast centre-back.
The 22-year-old is travelling to the UK ahead of a medical, with Forest set to pay a fixed fee of around €40 million (£34.3m) following weeks of negotiations between the two clubs.
Diomande is expected to complete his medical within the next 24 hours before finalising the remaining formalities of his switch to the City Ground.
The breakthrough represents a significant piece of business for new Forest head coach Oliver Glasner, who has been a driving force behind the club’s pursuit.
Glasner’s admiration for Diomande predates his arrival at Forest. The Austrian had previously attempted to sign the defender while managing Crystal Palace and has now pushed to bring him into his new-look squad.
Diomande has established himself as one of the most highly regarded young central defenders in European football since joining Sporting in January 2023.
The Ivory Coast international helped Sporting win back-to-back Primeira Liga titles in 2024 and 2025 and has also gained Champions League experience during his time in Portugal.
Sporting demonstrated how highly they value the defender when they handed him a new long-term contract in January. That agreement runs until June 2030 and contains an €80m (£62.3m) release clause.
Forest have therefore managed to negotiate a deal at roughly half the value of that clause.
Diomande’s arrival would give Glasner a powerful and technically accomplished option at the heart of his defence. At 1.90m tall, he combines physical strength with pace and an ability to carry and distribute the ball from the back.
He also arrives with international pedigree. Diomande has represented Ivory Coast since 2023 and was part of the squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in 2024.
Forest have been working on the transfer for several weeks, with Sporting initially reluctant to lose one of their most valuable players.
However, the two clubs have now settled on the fixed €40m fee, clearing the way for Diomande to travel to England and complete the final stages of the transfer.
The deal represents another major statement of intent from Forest as Glasner reshapes the squad ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
Providing there are no problems during his medical, Diomande is now on course to become the latest addition to the Forest squad.
