Hoping to maintain what has been an excellent start, Nottingham Forest are now reportedly ready to submit their opening bid in an attempt to sign their priority target in the January transfer window.
Nottingham Forest transfer news
The Midlands club have been one of the brightest sparks in the Premier League so far this season and only find themselves outside of a shock top four place following a slight dip in form as of late. With the chance to leap ahead of champions Manchester City into the Champions League places, Nuno Espirito Santo found themselves on the wrong end of Kevin de Bruyne's long-awaited return in a 3-0 defeat.
Now outside of the Champions League places by four points but remaining sixth in what is still an incredibly impressive position, they find themselves competing for a European place. And they may potentially turn towards the January transfer window in just under a month to reinforce their chances of staying there.
Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva. Related
Nottingham Forest eyeing near-£30m midfielder who plays like Bernardo Silva
Nottingham Forest are among the many teams who are keeping an eye on the midfielder ahead of January.
According to Anderlecht Online, Nottingham Forest are now willing to submit their first bid to sign Moussa N'Diaye, who is their priority target in the winter window. The left-back should be within their price range too, even though Anderlecht reportedly want more than €10m (£8m) to sell their defender next month.
Given that Espirito Santo already has two left-back options in the form of Ola Aina - who's enjoying a fantastic season - and Alex Moreno, who arrived from Aston Villa in the summer, Forest could be chasing N'Diaye's signature with a centre-back role in mind. The Anderlecht man would offer crucial versatility in that regard.
"Superb" N'Diaye would offer instant depth
At 22 years old, N'Diaye would provide cover for both Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic as well as becoming the long-term replacement for Moreno, who is only on loan from Aston Villa and already 31 years old. Aina, meanwhile, is 28 years old which would likely open the door for N'Diaye to grab hold of an eventual starting place at the City Ground.
moussa ndiaye
The defender has earned plenty of praise in the current campaign, including from Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig, who went as far as describing N'Diaye as "superb" earlier this month.
A player with experience on the European stage certainly wouldn't go amiss for Forest either, as they look to reach the Europa League and cause one of the biggest shocks of the Premier League season in doing so.