Nottingham Forest could have a busy transfer deadline day with several moving parts to their attempts to strengthen Sean Dyche's squad
Brian Dick Reach Football Correspondent
11:41, 01 Feb 2026
Arne Engels
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Arne Engels(Image: Getty Images)
Nottingham Forest are ‘exploring’ a deadline day deal for Celtic’s Arne Engels.
That’s according to Sky Sports Germany, who say the 22-year-old’s exit is ‘possible under the right conditions’.
The Reds have been looking at midfielders to bolster their resources in the centre of the pitch. Brighton & Hove Albion’s Yasin Ayari and Inter Milan’s Davide Frattesi are among those on the club’s radar.
However, Frattesi’s future seems to be tied up with whether Inter can persuade Liverpool to part with Curtis Jones, something Arne Slot has played down.
As a result, Fabrizio Romano has claimed Frattesi’s move to Forest is ‘on stand-by’.
That could see them redirect their attention to Engels, who joined Celtic from FC Augsburg in 2024 and still has two-and-a-half years left on his contract.
Since then, the Belgian has made his senior international debut and 88 appearances for the Scottish Premiership outfit. He has scored 15 times and added 20 assists.
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This season, he has started 15 of their 23 league games, missing only one, and six of their eight Europa League fixtures.
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As things stand, Sean Dyche is not short of options in the middle of the park with Elliot Anderson, Ibrahim Sangaré, Morgan Gibbs-White, Nicolas Dominguez, James McAtee and Ryan Yates all available.
Prising Engels away from Celtic, though, could be a tough task with the 22-year-old doing well under Martin O’Neill.
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