Ivory Coast defender Diomande completes £34.3m move to Nottingham Forest

Ivory Coast inter jin88bet.one national jin88bet.one Ousmane Diomande has joined Nottingham Forest from Portuguese champions Sporting in a deal worth £34.3m (€40m).

The 22-year-old centre-back has signed a contract running until June 2030, with Forest holding an option to extend the agreement by another year.

Diomande’s move to England brings an end to his four-year association with Sporting, where h ak168app.baby e established ak168app.baby himself as one of the club’s leading defenders and helped them win back-to-back Portugues ak168app.club e league titles.

Forest agreed a fixed transfer fee of about £34.3m for the defender followin ak168app.club g several weeks of negotiations.

Diomande said he was excited by the opportunity to join a club with Forest’s history and believes the team can achieve significant success during the new season.

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“I am very happy ks168app.site to be here. It is a historic club, and it motivates me to join such a club,” said Diomande

“I ic88 believe we can achieve very good things this season and I am looking forward to meeting the players and head ic88 coach. I will give my best.”

The move also reunites Diomande with Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner, who had previously tried to sign the defender wh ic88 ic88 ile in charge of Crystal Palace.

Glasner is understood to have been a major influence behind Forest’s pursuit of the Ivory Coast in ic88 ternational.

The Austrian manager’s preference for a three-at-the-back system could also provide Diomande with an immediate role in the first-te ic88 am setup.

Forest are ex ic88 ic88 pected to use the defender in a back three alongside Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo, with Diomande’s pace, physical strength and defensive ability potentially making him an important part of Glasner’s plans.

For Diomande, the transfer represents another major step in a career that began in Ivory Coast. lr88 lr88

The defender was developed at Olympic Sport Abobo before moving to Europe. He subse lr88 quently spent time with Dan lr88 ish club FC Midtjylland before Sporting brought him to Portugal in January 2023.

His development in Lisbon was rapid. Diomande went on to make 132 first-team appearances for Sporting and played an important role as the club secured c lr88 lr88 onsecutive league championships in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

He also gained valuable experience in European competition, helping Sporting lr88 reach the Champions League quarter-finals last season. Their run ended against Arse lr88 nal, who eliminated the Portuguese side at the last-eight stage.

Internationally, Diomande has become an established member of the Ivory Coast squad.

He has op88 won 15 caps for the Elephants and was included in the country’s squad for the 2026 op88 World Cup. He featured once during the tournament, playing in Ivory Coast’s group-stage victory over Curacao.

His move to Forest therefore gives the West African defender the opportunity to continue his d si88 si88 evelopment in the Premier League after establishing himself in one of Portugal’s leading clubs.

The transfer is also 88v 88v significant for Nottingham Forest, who have chosen to invest heavily in a young defender with considerable experience at both club and international level.

Glasner’s previous interest in Diomande was a key factor in the deal.

The mana SEXXXXX-VN ger had attempted to bring the player to Crystal Palace before taking charge at Forest, and he has now finally secured the defender’s servi SEXXXXX-VN ces.

 

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Mubarak Haruna
Mubarak Haruna is an emerging force in African football journalism, recognised for his speed, accuracy and ability to break major stories. He specialises in breaking news, match coverage and multimedia storytelling across radio, television and digital platforms.He holds a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism and has developed his craft within some of Ghana’s leading media organisations. Mubarak has worked with the Multimedia Group, where he served as a sports radio and television presenter at Joy FM, while also contributing as a writer for Myjoyonline.com.Known for his sharp instincts and ability to deliver timely football stories, Mubarak has gained growing recognition for his impactful reporting and dedication to the profession.He is currently the Deputy Managing Editor of African.Football, where he plays a key role in driving editorial operations, breaking major stories and supporting the platform’s mission to deliver fast, reliable and high-quality African football content to a global audience.

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