Nottingham Forest are set to sign Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for £34 million as Oliver Glasner continues to shape his squad.The 22-year-old centre-back will move to the City Ground for €40m (£34.3m), according to The Athletic, with the deal reported by David Ornstein.Diomande is a physically strong and combative defender who ranked among the top performers for tackle success in Portugal’s Primeira Liga last season. He also offers pace and is comfortable progressing the ball or playing out from the back.His versatility should make him particularly useful to Glasner, who is expected to build Forest around a back three. Diomande has experience playing in both a back four and a three-man defence.Nottingham Forest set to sign Ousmane Diomande for £34mThe defender had previously been on Glasner’s radar during the German coach’s time at Crystal Palace, and his arrival is expected to add another option to a position Forest are looking to strengthen.Diomande has already made 149 senior appearances despite his age and has earned 16 caps for Ivory Coast. He has won two league titles with Sporting and was part of the Ivory Coast squad that lifted the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.Forest already have several candidates competing for places in Glasner’s preferred back three, including Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Jair Cunha and Morato. However, the Athletic report describes Diomande as a player Glasner believes can fill an important gap in his squad.The Portuguese side will now lose one of their key defensive players as Forest continue preparations for the new Premier League season.Follow the Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTokThe post Forest set to sign Ousmane Diomande for £34m appeared first on The Football Faithful.