Nottingham Forest’s move for Ousmane Diomande is now regarded as a matter of when rather than if. Portuguese reports reveal how the Premier League side’s deal with Sporting is expected to be structured.
According to A Bola, Diomande has already agreed personal terms with Nottingham Forest. He is set to sign a five-year contract running until 2031 once the clubs complete the remaining paperwork.
The player’s side is therefore no longer an issue, with negotiations now focused entirely on finalising the agreement between the two clubs.
How the deal will work
A Bola reports that Nottingham Forest will pay a guaranteed €40m (£35m) for the Sporting defender.
On top of that, the deal will include performance-related bonuses capable of increasing the final fee, while Sporting are also expected to retain a percentage of any future profit should Forest sell Diomande later in his career.
The precise figures are still being refined because they depend on the structure of the payments.
According to the newspaper, Sporting’s position is straightforward. The Portuguese champions will not compromise on the €40m (£35m) fixed payment.
However, the remaining discussions are centred on the value of the bonuses, the payment schedule and the percentage attached to a future sale.
Record echoes that assessment, describing the agreement as being in principle, with only the final contractual details separating the clubs from a completed transfer.
Existing relationship has helped negotiations
A Bola also sheds light on why negotiations have progressed smoothly over the last week.
The newspaper explains Sporting football director Bernardo Morais Palmeiro already has a longstanding relationship with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis. They had previously worked together at Rio Ave.
That connection is understood to have helped maintain constructive talks. Both clubs worked through the finer points of the agreement.
Assuming everything is signed off in the coming days, Diomande could find himself in an unusual situation. Nottingham Forest are due to face Sporting in a pre-season friendly on Friday, meaning the Ivorian defender could make his unofficial debut against the club he has only just left.
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