Nottingham Forest have plenty of attacking targets in the summer, but there is one Brazilian forward who looks more likely to be available than Evangelos Marinakis could’ve expected.
Alexis Saelemaekers looks to be a target for Forest as additional attacking dynamism is top of the priority list for the summer. This could help Nuno Espirito Santo to change games that may have got away from Forest this season.
As an example, the Forest squad should’ve been able to see off Leicester in the 2-2 draw last Sunday, and perhaps another attacking element off the bench could’ve been enough to make the afternoon comfortable.
Intentions were made clear after Forest bid for Baris Yilmaz, but there’s one option that looked set for a move to Inter Milan that the Reds may now have a chance to move in on.
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Nottingham Forest still have a shot at signing Luis Henrique
It was previously reported that Bayern Munich were favourites to sign Luis Henrique as Forest remained interested but unlikely to beat their rivals to the Brazilian’s signature.
However, Inter looked to have stolen the march on everyone else in the pursuit of Henrique. According to Tuttosport, though, this move isn’t quite as tied up as Forest may have expected.
The report said: “Full agreement has already been reached with the former Botafogo player [Henrique] for a contract until 2030 worth €2.2 million per year and rising over the years.
“Now the final agreement between the two clubs must be found, with the French [Marseille] having dropped from the initial request of €35 million to €30 million.
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“Still too much according to Inter, who had started from an initial offer of €18-20 to rise to €22 million plus a further 3 million in bonuses linked to the player’s performance and the team’s successes.”
A £25m asking price isn’t out of reach at all for the Reds, considering that Forest plan to spend serious money in the summer. However, according to a separate report, Inter have one more option they are considering to get the price down.
Inter ready to offer players to secure Luis Henrique
Given the financial power of Premier League sides, Forest are probably in a stronger position to offer the asking price for Henrique, but Inter have one more ploy to pip Evangelos Marinakis to the Brazilian.
According to TEAMtalk, Inter are ready to part ways with Canadian winger Tajon Buchanan to sweeten the deal for Marseille, as they look to secure the services of the Brazilian before the start of the Club World Cup.
It’s clear to see why Henrique is so desired as in a recent press conference, Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi told Footboom that the 23-year-old is: “A complete player, with or without the ball.”
A striker is Forest’s summer priority but someone like Henrique is definitely intriguing for the Reds, but they have their work cut out to take advantage of Inter’s stalling.