Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo on a five-year contract for an initial £26million.
The 23-year-old Frenchman arrives after a prolific season in Ligue 1, where he scored 18 goals in 34 appearances as Rennes finished 12th.
A former Paris Saint-Germain forward, Kalimuendo has netted 40 times in 112 games for the French club since joining in 2022 and was part of France’s Olympic squad that won silver in Paris last year.
Kalimuendo becomes Forest’s latest high-profile arrival in a summer of heavy spending. The club had already invested over £114m on six players, including winger Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich Town for £37.5m and midfielder James McAtee from Manchester City in a £30m deal.
Nuno Espirito Santo had questioned Forest’s transfer strategy last week, warning his squad was not fully equipped for the demands of European football, but the club have since moved quickly to strengthen.
Forest will compete in the Europa League this season after Crystal Palace were demoted to the Conference League.
Kalimuendo will provide competition for Chris Wood alongside Brazil striker Igor Jesus, who arrived from Botafogo in July for £10m.
Speaking to the club’s website, Kalimuendo said: “When I heard about the interest from Forest, I was honoured. I arrive here with good experience but I want more and I want to reach a new level. I can’t wait to play in the Premier League and at the City Ground – the fans create a beautiful atmosphere.”
Forest opened their Premier League campaign with a 3-1 win over Brentford at the City Ground on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the club sold Anthony Elanga to Newcastle for an initial £55m earlier this summer, but secured a boost when Morgan Gibbs-White signed a new contract despite interest from Tottenham.
