Nottingham Forest are thought to be close to signing Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande.
The central defender has given the green light to a move to the City Ground, and all that remains to be sorted is the transfer fee.
Diomande has international and Champions League experience, and Forest are signing one of the best centre-backs in the Portuguese division.
Now, with things heating up, Diomande could do something for Forest that only Matt Turner has done previously.
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Ousmane Diomande could make debut vs Sporting CP
According to A Bola, Diomande’s transfer to Forest should go through as planned, with Sporting already adding his replacement to their ranks.
It’s believed that the deal will take place well before the two clubs meet in a pre-season friendly on Friday evening.
With that in mind, Diomande could actually do something that only Matt Turner has managed in a Forest shirt.
In 2023, Turner was signed three days before the start of the 2023/24 campaign with Forest in desperate need of a goalkeeper.
Ironically, his debut game came against his former club Arsenal, and now Diomande could follow suit.
When the Ivorian does check in at Forest, he will go straight into Oliver Glasner’s squad, and that could see him line up with his new teammates against his former club.
It would be a strange twist of fate for Diomande, but the immediate priority from a Forest perspective is to simply get the deal done and dusted.
Forest need to fork out for Diomande
The Reds will likely have to part with £40 million to sign Diomande and negotiations are ongoing.
Forest will want to appease Glasner and show they’re willing to back the new head coach ahead of the new season.
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The Reds clearly want another central defender, and Diomande featuring alongside Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic could be perfect.
With the next friendly game on Friday, the hope will be that this can get over the line quickly and he can join up with his new teammates in plenty of time.
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