Nottingham Forest are actively searching for ways to strengthen Nuno Espírito Santo’s starting line-up, with one £30m opportunity looking too good to turn down.
After the Premier League fixtures were released, excitement ramped up to see how Forest would line up on the opening day.
Igor Jesus should be at Forest for the opener against Brentford, but the rest of the Reds’ transfer business remains up in the air as Evangelos Marinakis is planning an ambitious transfer window.
New stars are being linked with the City Ground on a daily basis, but one of January’s top targets could return to the fold, given the tempting financial package presented.
Douglas Luiz of Juventus celebrates during the UEFA Champions League match between Juventus and PSV Eindhoven
Photo by Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Nottingham Forest target Douglas Luiz available for just £30m
Forest showed an interest in Douglas Luiz back in January, with the former Aston Villa midfielder having a season to forget at Juventus after swapping the Premier League for the Serie A.
It’s already been made clear that Juventus want to cash in on Luiz in either a permanent deal or a loan with an obligation to buy, with the latter option being explored further by Tuttosport amid Leeds United’s interest in the Brazilian.
The report said: “Juventus wants to sell him. And Douglas himself doesn’t seem very convinced about staying. The problem, however, is the figure for which to sell him. Under 40 million, in fact, there would be a capital loss, which Comolli and Scanavino would like to avoid at all costs.
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“[…] One solution could be to make a loan with an obligation to buy, so that the definitive transfer can arrive in a year, when the balance sheet weight will be 30 million, closer to his real value.”
It’s hard to turn down someone of Luiz’s Premier League pedigree for £30m, especially as the outlay could be delayed for a year given the loan with an obligation aspect.
Despite Danilo’s move to Lyon stalling, his exit still feels likely, so the Forest squad will have a space in the midfield.
Douglas Luiz would be a huge upgrade to Nottingham Forest’s midfield
Besiktas have also looked at Danilo as the 24-year-old edges more towards the periphery of Espírito Santo’s squad, whereas a player like Luiz would instantly become a star of the Reds squad.
Remarkably, Luiz played 53 times for Villa in his final season at the club, scoring ten goals and assisting the same number in an all-action midfield role.
Given that he scored seven in the season prior to this, Luiz’s nightmare spell at Juventus can be seen as an anomaly rather than an indication of his true ability.
In Forest’s midfield, Elliot Anderson and Ryan Yates scored only two goals each to emphasise the need for greater attacking output from the middle of the park, something that Luiz could fix so the £30m fee can’t be one that Marinakis ignores.