Nottingham Forest have held talks to sign AC Milan winger Alexis Saelemaekers, though a gap in the clubs’ valuations remains a key hurdle.
TEAMtalk understands that Forest have been in contact with the Belgian international’s entourage for over a year, even prior to his loan with Roma.
Saelemaekers, 25, spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan with Roma and, after an injury-disrupted start in the Italian capital, notched seven goals and seven assists in 31 games during his spell.
Forest remain one of the clubs with concrete interest in the versatile attacker, considering him a strong option for the summer transfer window, per sources.
Forest value Saelemaekers at around €20m (£17m / $23m), while Milan’s asking price is closer to €25m (£21.3m / $29m). The gap is not too wide, and there is room for negotiation if the Rossoneri decides to sell.
Saelemaekers could be signed by The Tricky Trees to provide cover for Anthony Elanga, who continues to be heavily linked with a move to Newcastle.
However, Forest face competition for the Belgian’s signature. Interestingly, Newcastle asked for information last spring, but talks did not move forward. More recently, Eintracht Frankfurt have emerged as one of the most interested teams.
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AC Milan yet to make final decision on Forest target
While Saelemaekers figures highly on Nuno Espirito Santo’s shortlist, TEAMtalk understands that for now, Milan have decided to pause all discussions.
That is because the Italian club’s new manager, Massimiliano Allegri, wants to evaluate Saelemaekers in pre-season before making a final decision.
The player’s future will depend on whether Allegri sees him as part of his long-term project or not.
Saelemaekers is one to watch closely in the coming weeks, with Forest’s interest very strong.
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Alexis Saelemaekers profile: Style of play, recent form
By Samuel Bannister
Saelemaekers originally emerged at Anderlecht before earning a move to Serie A with AC Milan in January 2020, on an initial loan deal that became permanent that summer.
Mainly used as a right wing-back at first, Saelemaekers later moved forward as a winger, still often on the right-hand side. He earned a senior international debut for Belgium in October 2020 as his ascent continued, but the next few seasons would lead to some mixed views of his worth.
A loan move to Bologna in 2023-24, after 140 appearances for Milan, saw Saelemaekers switch over to the left wing in Thiago Motta’s system, where he was able to cut inside onto his stronger right foot to create goalscoring chances. It was at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara that he began to genuinely build on his potential, playing his part in Bologna’s first ever Champions League qualification.
With the jury still out on Saelemaekers in Milan, another loan move was signed off, this time to Roma for the 2024-25 season. His first half of the season was interrupted by injury, so much so that he missed the entire 12-game reign of future Southampton manager Ivan Juric, but after his recovery and the appointment of Claudio Ranieri, the Belgium international made up for lost time.
Saelemaekers proved in 2024-25 that he can still play comfortably as either a right wing-back or left winger. He put together an attractive catalogue of goals in the best-scoring season of his career, including volleys and weak-footed curlers.
By the end of the 2024-25 season, Saelemaekers was the Roma player with the second-most goal contributions in all competitions, despite 12 outfield players gaining more minutes of gametime than him.
His crossing ability makes him a useful option on the right-hand side, but he has developed a keener eye for goal over his two loan spells away from Milan, which means he is a decent candidate to use in a wide attacking role as well.
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