Nottingham Forest Nears €40m Deal for Ousmane Diomande
Nottingham Forest have dragged the Ousmane Diomande deal back from the brink – and in doing so, may have finally closed the door on a bargain Liverpool never truly tried to walk through.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Forest are “moving to final stages” with Sporting Lisbon over a €40m (£34.2m) agreement for the 22-year-old centre-back, a move that had looked dead not long ago after issues in negotiations. All parties are now described as confident. The deal is back on, and this time it’s moving.
For a fee just under £35m, Diomande always felt like the kind of opportunity that usually has the Premier League’s bigger clubs circling. When word first emerged that Forest were cooling their interest, Liverpool were immediately touted as potential beneficiaries, a club that needed defensive surgery and had been linked with the Ivorian in previous windows.
Instead, Liverpool watched. And waited.
Liverpool look elsewhere as Forest close in
Forest’s renewed push leaves Liverpool staring at a familiar question: what exactly is the plan at the back?
With the defence creaking and obvious gaps at both right-back and centre-back, the club’s recruitment strategy has come under scrutiny. The summer has drifted by without the decisive early business many felt was essential. Now, as Forest close on Diomande, Liverpool’s gaze appears to have shifted firmly toward Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo.
Araujo, potentially available on a season-long loan with no obligation to buy, offers something very different: a short-term, high-level patch for two problems at once. He can operate centrally and on the right, giving Andoni Iraola a flexible defender with proven pedigree in one of Europe’s toughest leagues.
That matters. Liverpool’s budget has already been stretched, with the Bradley Barcola pursuit still unresolved as PSG hold out for a huge fee. Every move now has to be calculated. Every risk has to be justified.
Diomande, at €40m, represented a medium-term investment. Araujo, if the terms are right, represents a temporary but potentially decisive fix.
Diomande vs Araujo: the numbers tell their own story
On paper, Diomande looks like a modern centre-back: comfortable on the ball, progressive, technically secure. His 2025/26 Primeira Liga numbers back that up – 68.77 successful passes per 90 at a 93.1% completion rate, with 0.21 chances created per game. Those are strong figures for a defender, especially one still only 22.
But the comparison with Araujo is revealing.
In La Liga last season, Araujo averaged 65.4 successful passes per 90 with a 92% completion rate. Slightly fewer passes, slightly lower accuracy, but in a league of higher overall intensity and quality. Where the Uruguayan really pulls clear is in the duels that define elite defenders.
Diomande won 48.6% of his duels and 57.4% of his aerial battles per 90. Araujo? A commanding 63% in duels and 67.2% in the air. He was dribbled past just 0.08 times per 90, compared to Diomande’s 0.35.
The contrast is stark. Diomande brings tidy distribution and upside. Araujo brings authority, presence, and the kind of defensive reliability Liverpool’s current backline has been crying out for.
A calculated gamble, not a grand design
None of this absolves Liverpool of criticism for how they’ve navigated this window. The need for a new right-back and a new centre-back was obvious long before August. Leaving it this late has forced the club into reactive mode, looking for creative solutions instead of executing a clear, early plan.
Yet if the choice now is between committing around £34m to Diomande or taking Araujo on loan with no obligation to buy, the logic is clear. Araujo is the more complete defender today, tested at the highest level, and capable of stepping straight into a system that demands aggression and control.
Diomande may grow into that player. His age and technical profile suggest he has the tools. Forest are betting on that development curve. They are paying for potential.
Liverpool, squeezed by finances and still juggling other targets, are leaning toward certainty – or as close as you can get to it in a single-season loan.
If Araujo does arrive and slots in as expected, few at Anfield will spend long mourning the one that got away in Lisbon. If he doesn’t, and Diomande blossoms in the Premier League under the Forest banner, the questions about this window will only grow louder.
For now, Forest are on the brink of landing a €40m statement at the back. Liverpool are banking on a different kind of statement entirely.
