Nuno Espírito Santo is set to have a new striker in his Nottingham Forest squad, with French striker Arnaud Kalimuendo close to being announced as a Reds player.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Forest agreed a deal with Rennes for Kalimuendo as part of a remarkable triple swoop to boost Espírito Santo’s attacking options.
Joining Kalimuendo will be James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson, with the two England U21 internationals set to provide the creativity to support the Frenchman.
Hutchinson will cost Forest £37m while McAtee’s price is closer to £30m, showing Evangelos Marinakis’ financial backing, which is only emphasised further by the news of Kalimuendo’s price tag.
Arnaud Kalimuendo celebrates scoring for Rennes against Nice.
Photo by DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images
Nottingham Forest set to confirm Arnaud Kalimuendo signing
After Espírito Santo admitted his concern about the Forest squad in an interview ahead of Sunday’s opening fixture against Brentford, he will be especially relieved to see the club act swiftly with these three incomings.
Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, it looks as if he’ll start next week with the Frenchman in training with Kalimuendo’s medical set for this weekend.
🚨🌳 Nottingham Forest agree deal to sign Arnaud Kalimuendo from Rennes, here we go!
Understand deal is now sealed between clubs for €31.5m transfer fee. Medical next.
New striker for Nuno, coming soon. 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/rK0CbwBOM7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 16, 2025
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Romano confirmed that the deal is worth £27m, making Kalimuendo the cheapest of the three new signings while perhaps being the most exciting for the Reds fans.
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Of course, Kalimuendo will provide competition for Chris Wood primarily, but the 23-year-old may also operate in a wide role to tremendous effect.
Arnaud Kalimuendo had success playing out wide for Rennes
Forest fans are excited about the Kalimuendo signing and it’s obvious to see why, given his 18-goal haul in Ligue 1 last season.
However, Rennes boss Habib Beye actually had success deploying Kalimuendo on the right of a front three, explaining his thoughts to Ligue 1’s official website.
He said: “Arnaud has real strengths when it comes to evading pressure, especially with his first touch. I think those qualities come through more clearly when he plays on the right. He doesn’t lose pace there like he sometimes does on the left.”
With Espírito Santo considering operating with two strikers this season, we can expect Kalimuendo to operate centrally, but the option of a wide role could be intriguing.