Nottingham Forest has entered the bidding war for Ousmane Diomandé, tabling a €40 million offer plus €5 million in performance-related add-ons to pry the 22-year-old centre-back away from Sporting CP. The Portuguese club, for its part, isn’t budging from its €50 million asking price.

Diomandé is an Ivory Coast international who stands 190 cm tall and has been a fixture in Sporting CP’s backline since arriving from Danish club Midtjylland in January 2023. He’s 22, he plays the most in-demand position in modern football, and he recently signed a contract extension through June 2030.

That new deal came with an €80 million release clause, which tells you everything about how Sporting views his trajectory. Forest’s €40 million bid isn’t exactly lowballing, but it’s nowhere near that release clause. Crystal Palace reportedly came close to finalizing a deal worth €55 million during the summer of 2025, a transaction that ultimately fell through. So Sporting knows what the market is willing to pay, and €40 million isn’t it.

Diomandé’s estimated market value currently sits somewhere between €45 million and €60 million, a range that reflects both his age and his ceiling.

The fact that Crystal Palace was reportedly willing to pay €55 million last summer suggests Sporting’s €50 million floor isn’t unreasonable. If Forest wants Diomandé badly enough, they’ll likely need to close the gap, either through a higher upfront fee or more creative deal structuring involving sell-on clauses, installment payments, or additional bonuses tied to performance milestones.