Liverpool are reportedly long-time admirers of Sporting Lisbon centre-back Ousmane Diomande and could benefit from his move to Nottingham Forest stalling.

The Reds are being linked with a possible hijack for Diomande by French journalist Sebastien Vidal, who claims that there is now a “failure” of negotiations between Forest and Sporting.

The Ivory Coast international had been strongly linked with Forest, as per a recent report from BBC Sport and others, but Vidal says the deal is now in danger.

It seems this could let Liverpool back into the race as they remain on the hunt for a new signing in central defence this summer…

Liverpool pourrait profiter de l’échec des négociations entre Nottingham Forest et le Sporting pour Ousmane Diomande. Le défenseur ivoirien de 22 ans, estimé autour de 40 M€, reste disponible et figure depuis longtemps sur les radars des Reds, qui cherchent à renforcer leur…

— Sébastien Vidal (@SebEcrivainFoot) August 7, 2026

Vidal posted on X: “Liverpool could benefit from the failure of negotiations between Nottingham Forest and Sporting for Ousmane Diomande. The 22-year-old Ivorian defender, valued at around €40M, remains available and has long been on the Reds’ radar, as they look to bolster their central defense.”

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Liverpool could land the defender they need

LFC fans will certainly hope this all proves accurate as Diomande looks like just the signing they need after a difficult summer.

Ibrahima Konate has left Anfield on a free transfer, and there’s yet to be a replacement brought in for the France international.

Diomande looks like he could do that job, with the 22-year-old long looking like a superb talent with a big future in the game.

Liverpool might do well to make more than one signing in defence, though, as Virgil van Dijk is also not getting any younger.

The experienced Netherlands international remains an important player for the Merseyside giants, but one imagines he might struggle to play 90 minutes every three or four days in the season ahead.

Jeremy Jacquet is another option for Andoni Iraola, but his fitness remains a concern after an injury he picked up before joining.