Premier League club Nottingham Forest have signed French forward Arnaud Kalimuendo on a five-year deal as they bolster their attacking department before the upcoming season. The 23-year-old joins the English club from Rennes for an alleged at least €30 million ($35 million), French media reported.
In a statement on Monday, Forest confirmed: “Nottingham Forest is delighted to announce the signing of Arnaud Kalimuendo, who joins the club on a five-year deal.”
Kalimuendo started his professional life at Paris Saint-Germain, playing five senior matches before exiting in 2022. He acquired significant experience over two loan spells at RC Lens, where he found the target 21 times in 65 matches. His turning point, though, was at Rennes last season, where he scored 18 goals in 34 appearances across all games to become one of Ligue 1's top strikers.
Speaking following the transfer, Kalimuendo said: "When I learned of Forest's interest, I was flattered. This is a proud moment for me to join a club who had a good season last season and a team with wonderful history. I'd like to continue my good season in France and move to another level here."
Forest, double European winners, had a great 2024/25 season, ending in seventh place in the Premier League after being in the top three for most of it. But off-season preparation under boss Nuno Espirito Santo was anything but reassuring, with no wins and just one goal scored in seven games.
Notwithstanding the setbacks, Forest started the new campaign on a high, thrashing Brentford 3-1 in their league season opener. Kalimuendo's signing brings additional firepower to a team already boosted by signings Dan Ndoye, Omari Hutchinson, and James McAtee.
Forest's head football officer Ross Wilson welcomed the club's recent activity: "It's been a hectic couple of days for ourselves the culmination of many hard weeks' work by our staff. We are extremely pleased to bring in players of genuine quality and potential.
With Kalimuendo on board, Forest hope to build on the momentum of their season-opening victory and charge for another respectable league finish. The French striker's established goal-scoring history in Ligue 1 will prove critical as the club aims to achieve domestic ambitions alongside dreams of playing in Europe in the near term.
