‘Advanced talks’ – Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool target closing in on half-price £34m transfer

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Nottingham Forest are confident of closing a deal for Ousmane Diomande this summer.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYFabrizio Romano reports on X (formerly Twitter) that the Tricky Trees have sent a proposal valued at around €40m [£34.1m] for the Sporting CP centre-back.Sources close to Liverpool had previously indicated that the Reds’ recruitment team admired the 22-year-old centre-half.Nottingham Forest could win Ousmane Diomande transferIt’s remarkable work by Forest if the Premier League outfit does indeed manage to secure the footballer for below Sporting’s €80m [£68.2m] release clause. 🚨🌳 Nottingham Forest, confident to close Ousmane Diomande deal with Sporting shortly after bid sent.

Proposal will be way below €80m release clause; around €40m total package add-ons included. pic.twitter.com/eOkuHU7qRi — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 22, 2026 🚨🌳 Nottingham Forest are in advanced talks to sign Ousmane Diomandé from Sporting. Negotiations underway between clubs and with the centre back’s camp, #NFFC are on it to get the agreement done. pic.twitter.com/Vh90jSnwvU — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 21, 2026And something of a blow for Liverpool, we’d argue, given the slew of links in recent years.Want more Empire of the Kop coverage?

However, when you have to accept that a more local operator like Maxence Lacroix, with genuine Premier League experience, is going to cost north of £55m, it seems strange that Liverpool aren’t keeping an eye on options like Diomande this summer.£34.1m would be a bargain for LiverpoolIt’s worth highlighting from the off that the Ivory Coast international’s aerial threat does pose a potential problem for Liverpool’s recruitment. Players Aerial duel win rate (per 90) Ousmane Diomande 57.4% Virgil van Dijk 74.4% Ibrahima Konate 71.3% * Ousmane Diomande’s aerial threat compared to Liverpool’s starting centre-back partnership in top-flight action in 2025/26 (Fotmob)Regardless, £34.1m is the exact kind of price point that should be appealing to Liverpool.