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Report: Nottingham Forest and West Ham neck and neck racing for "clinical" lower league striker

Nottingham Forest and West Ham United have now soared into the race to sign a "clinical" striker, who has already scored 18 goals this season.

Forest eyeing new striker after Liverpool defeat

Forest fell to a late defeat against Liverpool on Sunday, with Alexis Mac Allister bagging a stoppage-time winner, but there are some positives to take from the game, with Vitor Pereira's side dominating the first half, recording an xG of 0.79, compared to 0.07 from the visitors.

Pereira was left disappointed by the result, saying: "I am angry with football, but you know, it's time to keep the mentality, to come back stronger and with confidence to face the future. The first half we played in the way that we played in Istanbul but we didn't score the goals."

Ultimately, the Tricky Trees weren't clinical enough, with Igor Jesus once again failing to get on the scoresheet, and with the Brazilian netting just two goals in 26 Premier League games this season, bringing in a new centre-forward is on the agenda this summer.

Last week, Sunderland's Wilson Isidor was named as a potential option, but the Frenchman would be a questionable addition to Pereira's squad, having provided just four goals in all competitions this season.

wilson-isidor-sunderland

However, a different striker, who has been in much better form than Isidor, has also now emerged as a target, according to a report from Sports Boom, which states Nottingham Forest have now jumped into the race to sign Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik.

West Ham United are also credited with an interest in the Slovenian centre-forward, alongside Burnley and Sunderland, with his current employers likely to cash-in this summer, and they are expected to hold out for £15m.

"Clinical" Vipotnik could be ready for Premier League move

The 23-year-old took some time to get used to life in the Championship, netting seven goals in the 2024-25 campaign, but he is on course to win the Golden Boot this season.

Player Club Number of goals

Zan Vipotnik Swansea City 16

Haji Wright Coventry City 13

Oli McBurnie Hull City 12

Jack Clarke Ipswich Town 12

Morgan Whittaker Middlesbrough 11

Adam Armstrong Southampton (now Wolves) 11

Joe Gelhardt Hull City 11

Kieffer Moore Wrexham 11

The 22-time Slovenia international is enjoying a fantastic campaign, scoring 18 goals in all competitions, and former manager Alan Sheehan was full of praise for the marksman after he scored a brace against Norwich City back in October, saying: "He was a livewire, led the line. There are things that we want more of and for him to be relentless within that.

"But in terms of scoring goals, he gave two moments of real quality and that clinical edge we have been missing in certain games."

Vipotnik is showing signs he is ready to make the step-up to the top flight, and Nottingham Forest could do with signing a new striker, having scored just 25 Premier League goals in 27 matches.

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