Nottingham Forest completed the signing of Luca Netz on deadline day. He arrived at the City Ground from Borussia Mönchengladbach via a permanent transfer.
The Premier League side also wanted to bring in a midfielder yesterday. That’s according to ESPN NL, who report the Reds had NEC Nijmegen’s Kodai Sano on their agenda.
Nottingham Forest were keen and launched a late effort to bring him to the City Ground.
The report state Sean Dyche’s side submitted an offer of around €20m to the Dutch club for the 22-year-old. This proposal arrived in the final hours of deadline day, and it was their ‘last-ditch effort’.
NEC Nijmegen have ‘cooly rebuffed’ Nottingham Forest’s late attempt and wasted no time to turn it down.
Ajax have also come forward for Sano. The Amsterdam club can still sign the player as the winter market in the Netherlands is open until Tuesday.
ESPN NL state Ajax have now withdrawn from the race to sign the midfielder. Meanwhile, their Eredivisie counterpart have no plans to part ways with the Japan international until the end of this season.
NEC Nijmegen have already boosted their finances from Robin Roefs and Kento Shiogai’s sales to Sunderland in August 2025 and VfL Wolfsburg last month respectively.
Wilco van Schaik, the Dutch club’s general manager, earlier confirmed rejecting a €10m bid for Sano last summer. This was partly possible because of Roefs’ €10.5m move to the Stadium of Light.
Sano’s current club have again rejected the latest €20m proposal from Nottingham Forest. According to the report, the player didn’t push for a transfer but is ‘disappointed with the way things are going’.
He joined NEC Nijmegen from Fagiano Okayama in August 2023. He has a contract until 2028 and could change clubs after this season.
The Japanese has played 22 matches for the Eredivisie side this season.