Nottingham Forest have been linked with Manchester City starlet Rico Lewis in what would be a remarkable show of ambition from Evangelos Marinakis.
Forest made a bid for Lewis after securing a deal with Man City to sign James McAtee, clearly sensing an opportunity to poach some of the country’s top talents.
McAtee’s arrival at Forest is imminent but he won’t be registered in time to feature in the Reds’ Premier League opener against Brentford, adding to Nuno Espírito Santo’s concern over his squad.
Certainly, though, adding Lewis to the mix would go a long way to easing Nuno’s worries, with Marinakis planning a significant offer to lure the right-back away from the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City defender Rico Lewis.
Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images
Evangelos Marinakis is willing to double Rico Lewis’ wages
Espírito Santo is desperate to sign full-backs as one of the top priorities in the final weeks of the window, with Lewis’ ability to play on both sides a clear selling point.
It’ll be hard to prise him away from Pep Guardiola, though, but according to talkSPORT, Marinakis is willing to put up a fight.
The report said: “Nottingham Forest are willing to double Rico Lewis’s wages to sign the Manchester ace. Forest are keen to sign Lewis as well as teammate James McAtee and have opened talks with City over the England international.
🚨🌳 Nottingham Forest feel Rico Lewis is keen on the move and want to push to get the deal done with Man City.
Negotiations ongoing between the clubs as initial bid has already been sent, not enough yet to convince City…
…but #NFFC insist as they really want Lewis. pic.twitter.com/xOhIQIQToz
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 15, 2025
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“Lewis is believed to be mulling over the move.”
Having made 44 appearances for City last season, it’s not as if Lewis needs to leave in search of minutes, but the temptation of a bumper wage boost could make the City Ground option that much more appealing.
Clearly, it makes sense why those at Forest would want Lewis, given that he provides a unique ability that Espírito Santo is craving.
Rico Lewis would significantly boost Nottingham Forest’s possession game
Given that Lewis can play in midfield as well as at full-back, he’d be a useful addition to the Forest squad from a pure versatility standpoint.
On top of this, though, Espírito Santo wants to move towards a possession style, something that Lewis’ tutelage from Pep Guardiola will certainly help with.
Speaking in a press conference about Lewis last August after City beat Ipswich Town, Guardiola said of Lewis: “I don’t know how (he does it), but he is always alone, and we can always find him.
“He is an exceptional player. He is an exceptional player, offensively and defensively. He can play in different positions; he helps us to play.”
This ability to always be available in possession is something that some in the Forest squad will need to learn, so bringing in Lewis almost as a guide through this transition would be a major help.