Nottingham Forest have signed Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo on a five-year contract for a reported initial fee of £26m.
Frenchman Kalimuendo, 23, scored 18 goals in 34 appearances last season as Rennes finished 12th in Ligue 1.
Forest had already spent at least £114m on six players in the summer transfer window before making this signing.
Over the weekend, they also bought winger Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich Town for £37.5m and spent close to £30m on Manchester City midfielder James McAtee.
This came after manager Nuno Espirito Santo had questioned the club’s transfer process on Friday, feeling his squad is ill-equipped to handle a European campaign.
Forest comfortably beat Brentford 3-1 at the City Ground in their opening Premier League game of the season on Sunday.
Kalimuendo joins Botafogo striker Igor Jesus as competition and support for forward Chris Wood in Espirito Santo’s side. Brazil international Jesus, 24, was bought for a reported £10m fee in July.
Kalimuendo, who started his career at Paris St-Germain, has scored 40 times in 112 games for Rennes since joining in 2022.
He also won silver with France at the Paris Olympic Games last year.
“When I heard about the interest from Forest, I was honoured,” he told the club’s website.
“I’m ready for the challenge and I arrive here with good experience. I had a good season last year with goals and assists but I want more and want to reach a new level here.
“I can’t wait to play in the Premier League and to play at the City Ground. I watched games from last season and it’s clear the fans create a beautiful atmosphere.”
Forest are preparing for the Europa League this season, having been promoted to the competition when Crystal Palace were demoted to the Europa Conference League.
They sold Anthony Elanga to Newcastle for an initial £55m but Morgan Gibbs-White signed a new contract despite Tottenham trying to sign the midfielder, which left Forest considering legal action.
Forest’s new lethal finisher
Kalimuendo finished as the third top scorer in Ligue 1 last season with 17 goals – all from inside the penalty area and including five spot-kicks.
Only PSG’s Ousmane Dembele and Mason Greenwood of Marseille scored more, though Kalimuendo’s shot conversion rate of 22% was better than both of them.
He scored 13 of his 18 big chances, equating to 72% – a figure only bettered by one regular scorer in France’s top flight last season. Kalimuendo, though not tall, has the strength and skill to turn defenders and he ranks highly for winning possession in the final third too.
The 23-year-old started his career at PSG but only made one league start for the club. He scored 19 goals in 60 league games on loan at Lens and has improved his goal output each season with Rennes, who he joined in 2022. He scored 40 goals in 113 appearances for the club in all competitions, as well as 11 goals in 33 caps for France’s under-21 side.
