Nottingham Forest Pursue Ousmane Diomande as Liverpool Eye Ronald Araujo
Nottingham Forest have dragged the Ousmane Diomande deal back from the brink – and in doing so, may have forced Liverpool to look elsewhere for defensive salvation.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Forest are “moving to final stages” in negotiations with Sporting Lisbon over a €40m (£34.2m) transfer for the 22-year-old centre-back, with all parties confident an agreement will be reached after recent issues in talks. A move that looked dead a few weeks ago is suddenly alive again.
For Liverpool, that matters.
Forest close in on Diomande
At a fee just under £35m, Diomande always looked like the kind of opportunity a mid-table Premier League club with ambition should seize. Young, athletic, technically secure, already trusted in a strong Sporting side – the profile fits.
So when Forest appeared to be cooling their interest, the door seemed to open for others. Liverpool were one of the clubs loosely linked, especially with their defence creaking and the market for elite centre-backs brutally expensive.
Now Forest are back at the table and pushing hard. The Ivorian is once again on course for the City Ground, and Liverpool’s hypothetical bargain option is about to disappear.
Liverpool turn towards Araujo
Rather than re-enter the race for Diomande, Liverpool’s gaze has shifted to a different kind of solution: Ronald Araujo.
The Barcelona defender, long admired at Anfield, is being lined up as a short-term answer on a season-long loan, with no obligation to buy. In a window where Liverpool have left themselves short at both right-back and centre-back, a versatile, high-level defender who can cover both roles immediately has obvious appeal.
It also reflects the financial reality. With the Bradley Barcola pursuit dragging on and Paris Saint-Germain holding out for a huge fee, Liverpool are having to protect what the article describes as a “fragile kitty”. A loan for Araujo, with only wages to cover, fits that strategy far better than a £34m outlay on Diomande.
Diomande vs Araujo: the numbers tell their own story
Diomande’s potential is clear, but the comparison with Araujo is stark.
- Diomande completed 68.77 successful passes at a 93.1% success rate.
- Araujo completed 65.4 successful passes at 92%.
On the ball, they are broadly similar: high-volume, high-accuracy passers comfortable in possession.
The difference comes in the duels.
- Diomande won 48.6% of his duels and 57.4% of his aerial battles.
- Araujo dominated 63% of his duels and 67.2% in the air.
Defensively, the gap widens again.
- Diomande was dribbled past 0.35 times per 90.
- Araujo was beaten only 0.08 times per 90.
Those are elite defensive metrics from the Uruguayan, produced in La Liga rather than the Primeira Liga. The level of competition matters. Araujo has been tested against Europe’s best forwards; Diomande is still climbing that ladder.
For a Liverpool side in need of reliability, not just promise, the numbers point in one direction.
A pragmatic move in a messy window
Liverpool’s handling of this window has already raised eyebrows. Everyone could see the need: a new right-back, a new centre-back, fresher legs and more depth in a backline that has been stretched and exposed. Yet the club have drifted towards August without nailing down the key deals.
That is why Araujo, even as a short-term fix, makes so much sense. He can step in immediately, slot into a high line, win his duels, command the air, and shuffle across to right-back when required. Andoni Iraola would be getting a defender he can trust from the first whistle of the season, not one who needs months to adapt.
Diomande, at his age and stage, is a project. A good one, at a fair price. But a project all the same.
Forest can afford that kind of risk as they try to build something more stable and progressive. Liverpool, fighting to keep pace at the top end of the Premier League and in Europe, need certainty.
So Forest close in on their €40m bet on the future, while Liverpool prepare to lean on a proven performer from Barcelona on loan. Two clubs, two very different calculations – and one question hanging over Anfield:
Will a short-term fix be enough to hold together a defence that has already been pushed to its limits?
