Nottingham Forest continue to have a “concrete interest” in AC Milan winger Alexis Saelemaekers, it has been reported.
Strengthening out wide is on the agenda for the Reds this summer as they look to tweak head coach Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad. Saelemaekers is a player they have been linked with for some time.
The 25-year-old is not short of admirers now the transfer window has reopened for business. TEAMtalk claim Forest are chief among them and have already held talks about signing the Belgium international.
The Reds are said to have been “in contact” with Saelemaekers’ representatives over the past year. It is claimed the club see the player as a “strong option” to bolster their ranks as he “figures highly” on Nuno’s shortlist of potential targets.
However, Forest face a couple of stumbling blocks when it comes to pursuing any deal. For starters, their valuation of Saelemaekers is said to differ from that of Milan.
His club have placed a €25 million (£21m) price tag on the wide man’s head, whereas the Reds are said to value him at around the €20m (£17m) mark. There is “room for negotiation”, though, if the Italian giants decide to sell.
And on that front, there is uncertainty over whether Milan are prepared to let Saelemaekers go. Any talks about his future are said to have been paused as new manager Massimiliano Allegri wants to evaluate the Belgian in pre-season before deciding whether to hang on to him.
Newcastle United have previously been credited with an interest in Saelemaekers. Eintracht Frankfurt are now said to have him on their radar.
Nuno made adding wingers to his squad a key priority last summer. Ramon Sosa and Jota Silva came in to provide competition and cover for Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
However, it proved to be a mixed first season in English football for the two newcomers. Both have since been linked with moves away from the City Ground while Newcastle are keen on Elanga.
The transfer window has now reopened for Premier League clubs. It has been split into two this year due to the Club World Cup and teams now have until September 1 to get their business done.
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