Nottingham Forest are in the process of finding an alternative for Anthony Elanga, but one of the shortlisted options is advancing in a move elsewhere.
Elanga confirmed his Forest departure with a heartfelt Instagram message, with the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi wishing their former Reds teammates the best at Newcastle United.
As the dust settles, Nottingham Forest News revealed that Forest have received £55m up front for Elanga, giving new recruitment guru Edu plenty of scope to find an adequate replacement.
Forest have a four-player shortlist to replace Elanga, but another preferred option could be set to elude the City Ground.
Nuno Espirito Santo during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Nottingham Forest
Photo by Jon Hobley | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Marseille ‘progressing’ with deal for Nottingham Forest target
In terms of the work done by Edu so far, Nottingham Forest News reported that Forest are making progress in talks to sign Johan Bakayoko, but there are doubts in the likelihood of a deal being finalised as it is believed that Bakayoko would prefer to play in the Champions League.
Therefore, another of the options may need to be considered, making Marseille’s pursuit of Lyon winger Malick Fofana of particular concern.
According to Footmercato: “Olympique de Marseille has positioned itself for the Aalst native [Fofana] and discussions are progressing well.”
At the start of July, Fabrizio Romano claimed that the Reds had an agreement in place to sign the Lyon man, but Nottingham Forest News confirmed that reports of an agreement for Fofana were well off.
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Fofana would cost over £50m so Edu would need to be sure that the Belgian was the right fit for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, but the highly active chase to sign Bakayoko may force Forest into action on the Fofana front.
Nottingham Forest risk missing out on Anthony Elanga replacements
If Bakayoko does prefer Champions League football over a move to the Premier League, then Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen could be the favourites for his signature.
Alongside Fofana, the Reds have plenty of other options in mind out wide, with some from closer to home as Forest have shown interest in Tyler Dibling as well as Ipswich Town’s Omari Hutchinson.
Appearances Goals Assists
Malick Fofana 41 11 5
Johan Bakayoko 46 12 3
Fofana and Bakayoko last season
However, Fofana and Bakayoko would provide Forest with a goalscoring threat that only Chris Wood bettered last season, with none of Espírito Santo’s supporting cast hitting double-figures for goals in 24/25.
It’s clear why they’d be among the preferred options, then, and given the loss of Elanga, Edu must work as hard as possible to ensure that at least one of the club’s top targets makes it over the line.