Newcastle United were in discussions last summer to recruit Anthony Elanga with an initial bid of £35 million waved away by Evangelos Marinakis, who has pushed to disrupt the traditional ‘big six’.
The fee was revised up to £50 million in Newcastle’s final roll of the dice on last year's deadline day to entice Elanga from Trentside to Tyneside, and ensure Marinakis had to confront a deal too lucrative to turn down.
But on the cusp of the window closing last term, The Tricky Trees had nobody to replace the Swedish winger off the back of a season characterised by struggle, having teetered precariously on the prospect of Championship football.
Another season has passed and Newcastle United are looking to tinker with their attacking personnel and possibly target the 23-year-old once again.
Newcastle are eager to propose the same sum as their first bid from last summer, but this time they may adjust to cater for Forest’s interests and raise the stakes without overstepping their original offer too much, according to The Northern Echo and The Mirror.
£50 million could be Forest’s demand for Elanga, and various add-ons and performance bonuses in an attempt to tempt Evangelos Marinakis to the negotiation table may not suffice alongside a reduced bid.
Could Sweden internationals Isak and Elanga combine at domestic level?
Elanga led the line in Alexander Isak’s absence against Hungary in a friendly match on Friday, when Sweden dispatched the hosts with two goals in the second half.
He will not travel to Sweden on Tuesday when they play Algeria in another friendly, but this has no relation to the ongoing transfer talk and had been arranged in the weeks prior to international call-ups with manager Jon Dahl Tomasson.
Eddie Howe faces a conflicting dilemma to settle for Newcastle United as well, since Alexander Isak could be in line for Liverpool to pursue, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
Over £100 million is the price tag the champions are reportedly willing to pay for the marksman, whose goal scoring tally was only beaten by Mohamed Salah in the Premier League.
Arne Slot’s men have taken the full brunt of Newcastle’s attack through Isak’s clinical striking, and most sorely in the Carabao Cup final when his goal gave Newcastle a decisive cushion on their way to their first trophy since 1969.
Over the span of three seasons, his profile has grabbed the attention of the league’s best and he has thrust himself into the status of the most sought after striker.
Newcastle have stood firm with their valuation and the justification of his price seems very reasonable, given his explicitly soaring goalscoring numbers but also due to his multifaceted attributes as a striker.
He has been heavily involved in many games, rather than drifting into anonymity with few touches - an inhibitor some strikers are afflicted by, even those who are among the best at finding the net.
Sporting director Richard Hughes and **Jurgen Klopp**’s successor, who have the financial tools to indulge in the market, have selected Isak as a principal target.
However, the striker has been the foremost outlet Newcastle have turned to on their quest for a top five spot and Champions League football.
The Magpies may deny any approaches over the next few months and preserve the attacking impetus they have developed with Isak leading the charge.
Elanga and Isak have already developed the chemistry with one another from their international duties, and their attacking compatibility may take less time to flourish than first thought, if both find themselves in the north-east next season.
Would Howe deploy Elanga on a regular basis?
After a final day defeat to Everton at St James’ Park, Aston Villa imploded and granted Newcastle their previously secure place in the Champions League positions.
The sharp disparity in prize money in the lesser European competitions has made entering the Champions League so much more significant, and has rendered a club’s assessment of their season underpinned by this achievement.
Newcastle are now in the position where Brighton forward João Pedro is also of high interest, and The Telegraph have revealed that they may have to conjure up a fee of £60 million to meet Brighton’s demands to offload the Brazilian.
Even though Miguel Almirón was among the outgoings in January, Newcastle still boast a quality contingent of forwards.
Would Elanga merely be adding to the competition between**Anthony Gordon**, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy for a place, or will Eddie Howe eject this trio from his starting lineup plans in favour of the potential newcomer?
This may be a factor influencing Elanga’s current contemplations personally, meanwhile Elanga’s goal contributions in a team renowned for their work without the ball could sway Forest’s hierarchy into retaining the player.
His valuation could increase more in the coming years and attract major clubs around the continent who can set aside superior sums, akin to the evolution of his compatriot Isak.
Elanga’s performances for The Reds have been synonymous with electric pace and versatility, which has earned the plaudits of Eddie Howe and are undoubtedly highlights to his profile.
He has been a buccaneering forward who often propels his team up the pitch in transition with the instinctive decision-making to convert attacks into threatening opportunities.
More than half of his total assists were supplied to**Chris Wood** last season for Forest. The latter also climbed to the pinnacle of his career in regards to goalscoring statistics in the top flight.
Much like Jacob Murphy who produced one more assist last campaign, Elanga’s service to his striker with early deliveries has supplemented his ability to take the ball on his own in assertive dribbles.
From United teenager to Forest's consistent game-changer
His most notable goal from last season at the City Ground was against his former club Manchester United, who were laid to waste as Elanga covered 85-metres of ground in approximately 9 seconds in a riveting burst of pace.
He shrugged off a United defender and released his shot before the back-tracking players could make a challenge.
This represented the presence of mind he has had in these scenarios to execute a cross or a shot on target after advancing Forest into the final third, often single-handedly.
He is another United graduate who has been shuffled out of the pack and embraced a place in another club, excelling to far greater heights with the weight off his shoulders.
He made his debut for The Red Devils at the end of the 2020/21 season, but a glimpse of his forthcoming contributions for Forest materialised in a Champions League tie in 2022.
Ralf Rangnick called upon substitute and teenager Elanga to replace Marcus Rashford.
Five minutes after his introduction against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Round of 16 contest, he peeled slightly off his marker, and darted forwards with intent to facilitate Bruno Fernandes to thread a ball behind the defenders and into his path.
He spotted a stranded Jan Oblak and took his effort early, and the ball nestled into the bottom corner. United would go on to share the spoils in the Spanish capital.
Suitors in Nottingham and Nuno Espírito Santo were surely monitoring this attribute, and for the youngster to produce this in a pressurising moment encouraged Forest to secure a deal.
What would an Elanga exit cost Forest on the pitch?
Another unique sign of his versatility, which inclined Forest to take action on their eventual £15 million deal for Elanga in July 2023, was his comfort in striking off both feet.
5 of his 6 goals in the season just gone were with his left-foot, supposedly his weaker side.
Ousmane Dembélé has been the exemplar player globally at exhibiting this trait and the Champions League winner is even in the running for the Ballon d’Or.
Newcastle may need to surpass their initial bids to tie down Elanga as a valuation could exceed £70 million given the status of Forest and the path they have gone on from unexpectedly avoiding relegation to staggeringly climbing into third place for a considerable period of last season.
If Newcastle escape with anything under a £35 million signing of Elanga under the noses of Forest, Elanga and Forest could come to regret it.
Forest would be clutching at straws to fill the void and find it difficult to reap the same rewards despite their stable financial standing in PSR, according to The Athletic .
Chris Wood has extended his contract until 2027 and the relationship with Elanga catapulted Forest up the standings.
Meanwhile, if Botafogo striker Igor Jesus is Forest’s latest addition, Elanga’s presence will be an enormous determining factor as to if the striker blossoms into imperious form or if Forest regress back to relegation form and away from the European places.
As Crystal Palace’s Europa League spot hangs in the balance, Nottingham Forest are waiting as their potential replacement, prodding UEFA officials about the supposed multi-club ownership breaches.
If Marinakis takes the deal from Newcastle United, he could be made to pay the price on the pitch, even with a world-class alternative, and especially if Europa League football comes along.