The 22-year-old centre-back was included in Ivory Coast's 26-man World Cup squad. Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesJuly 21, 2026 4:47 pm EDT Updated Nottingham Forest are in advanced negotiations with Sporting CP over a deal to sign defender Ousmane Diomande.Crystal Palace were linked with the 22-year-old while Glasner was in charge at Selhurst Park, and could now finally get the chance to work with the Ivory Coast international, who was a team-mate of Ibrahim Sangare at the World Cup.Glasner, the driving force behind the move to sign midfielder Xaver Schlager, who he previously managed at Wolfsburg, is keen to work with a three-man central defence at the City Ground.Diomande is seen as the perfect figure to slot into that formation on the right side, while also fitting into the category of being a young player who can only increase in stature and value with the benefit of first team experience in the Premier League.Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic have formed one of the most solid partnerships in the top flight in the last few years, with the duo helping Matz Sels to share the golden glove award with Arsenal’s David Raya in the 2024-2025 campaign.But Glasner largely worked with a 3-4-2-1 formation at Palace and wants the personnel to follow that route again at the City Ground, with Brazilian Morato and highly regarded youngsters Jair Cunha, Zach Abbott and Tyler Bindon currently the other options in the centre of defence.Diomande, who came through the youth academy at Danish club Midtjylland, has won 15 international caps. He was rewarded for his good form at Sporting with a new contract in January, which runs until 2030.Forest — who have been in talks with Tottenham over a move for midfielder Lucas Bergvall — are hopeful of signing Diomande, possibly before the end of their pre-season training camp in Portugal, which begins with a game against Blackburn on Wednesday.Jul 21, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms