Nottingham Forest have approached Johan Bakayoko as their preferred target to replace Anthony Elanga, but it remains to be seen whether the Belgian shares the same interest.
Forest made Bakayoko their preferred target when it became clear that Newcastle United would find a breakthrough in the Elanga talks, with Nuno Espírito Santo requiring a replacement with similar pace and directness.
However, Fabrizio Romano has reported that four other clubs are chasing Bakayoko, including Premier League rivals Bournemouth and Everton.
Nottingham Forest News revealedthat Forest are progressing in talks to sign Bakayoko, with PSV clear on their £17m valuation, but one report might have added a complication to the pursuit.
Johan Bakayoko during the Dutch KNVB Beker match between PSV v Go Ahead Eagles
Photo by Photo Prestige/Soccrates/Getty Images
How Johan Bakayoko feels about his move away from PSV
At 22, Bakayoko has been competing at the top of Dutch football his entire senior career, recently winning the Eredivisie title with PSV.
He has also been privileged to compete in the UEFA Champions League and has clearly got a taste for the competition, so much so that it may influence his next move.
According to the German outlet, Kicker, Bakayoko’s preference would be to move to another side competing in the Champions League, allowing him to remain at European football’s top table.
Of course, Forest have been promoted into the Europa League after UEFA punished Crystal Palace for a breach of their multi-club ownership rules, which would give the Reds two opportunities at reaching the Champions League next season, albeit with the odds stacked against them.
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The problem for Edu and the Forest recruitment team, though, is that Bakayoko has an option that would immediately put him back in the Champions League mix.
One of the four other clubs that Romano mentioned in the race for Bakayoko was Bayer Leverkusen, who finished second in the Bundesliga last season to secure their place in the Champions League.
Therefore, you’d have to imagine that they are favourites to sign the Belgian, a frustrating update as it turns out that the German side need a winger just as much as Forest do.
The Kicker report said: “Bayer 04 urgently needs reinforcements on the wings. After more than two and a half years under Xabi Alonso, wingers weren’t primarily in demand in his 3-4-3 formation; they are now highly valued under new coach Erik ten Hag, who relies on a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.”
With this in mind, Edu can only hope that Forest’s project is enough to convince Bakayoko that Champions League football isn’t impossible at the City Ground and that the chance to play Premier League football is equally as valuable as UEFA’s top competition.