Hoping to get one over on Chelsea, Nottingham Forest have now reportedly joined the race to sign an impressive Ligue 1 midfielder in a deal worth £25m this summer.
Nottingham Forest face encouraging Premier League start
It was Nottingham Forest's stunning start that saw them rise to as high as third in the Premier League last season, before dropping off to finish seventh. And one year on, they could enjoy a similarly fast start with the fixtures officially announced.
The Midlands club will open their campaign against Brentford at the City Ground before travelling to Crystal Palace and playing host to West Ham United to end August. Things don't get much tougher from there, either. In fact, Arsenal aside, games against Sunderland and Burnley to follow should hand Nuno Espirito Santo's side at least five very winnable games to get their season off to a flying start.
Those at the City Ground will also have European football to be excited about next season. Just which competition they'll be in remains an important question, however.
With UEFA still deliberating whether to give Crystal Palace the boot after the Eagles breached multi-club ownership rules, Evangelos Marinakis has reportedly written to the governing body perhaps in the hope of helping to sway a decision which would see Forest move up to the Europa League.
It's a letter which won't win the Greek owner many friends in the Premier League, but it could help to ensure that Forest receive an unexpected boost out of the Europa Conference League.
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They've already made their first approach.
Whether it's the Europa Conference League or Europa League, however, Forest will need some much-needed depth if they are to compete on all fronts. The pending arrival of Brazilian trio Igo Jesus, Cuiabano and Jair Cunha should hand them that in part, but a move to sign one particular Ligue 1 star would provide Nuno with his biggest boost this summer.
Nottingham Forest join Habib Diarra race
According to Caught Offside, Nottingham Forest have now joined the race to sign Habib Diarra from Strasbourg this summer. They're far from the only club interested in the midfielder though. Joining the Tricky Trees, Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt, Everton, Aston Villa and Leeds United are all reportedly eyeing the talented 21-year-old.
Habib Diarra in action for Strasbourg
The amount of interest in Diarra should come as little shock following the season that he and the rest of his Strasbourg teammates enjoyed to take the club into the top-half of Ligue 1. What has likely also helped increase that interest are the reports that the midfielder could be available for as little as €30m (£25m) in the coming months.
League stats 24/25 (via FBref) Habib Diarra Elliot Anderson
Minutes 2,352 2,728
Goals 4 2
Progressive Passes 116 143
Assists 5 6
Described as a "complete midfielder" by analyst Ben Mattinson, Diarra kept up with Elliot Anderson's excellent debut season last time out and would instantly offer Forest the quality in depth they need to navigate European football.