Nottingham Forest are attempting to get a summer deal over the line despite their relegation fears, with the player open to a City Ground move.
Forest set for intriguing summer with relegation or survival to set tone
Four managers across the season, a near-constant relegation fight, a simultaneous Europa League run that has taken them to the last eight of the competition — it has been some season at the City Ground.
Vitor Pereira, the fourth head coach to sit in the Forest dugout this campaign, is the man tasked with navigating the final stretch.
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His nine games in charge have provided glimpses of what this side can do when things click, none more so than the thumping 3-0 win over Tottenham last Sunday that lifted Forest two points clear of the relegation zone.
But this is no time for comfort.
Three points separate Forest from the drop with seven games left.
The gap above West Ham in 18th is paper-thin. Every result matters, and the financial and sporting consequences of going down would be enormous for a club that has spent heavily in recent seasons to establish itself at the top level.
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It would be a left-field one.
Those stakes are shaping everything happening off the pitch too.
A fire sale looms if the worst happens — Elliot Anderson, tracked relentlessly by Man United and Man City all season and teportedly valued at £100m, could walk out the door.
Morgan Gibbs-White, the emotional captain who came within a whisker of joining Tottenham last summer before owner Evangelos Marinakis held firm, has apparently attracted interest from City.
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The Brazilian centre-back Murillo, one of the true bright spots of a troubled campaign, is also garnering serious Premier League rival attention.
Pereira himself has admitted his concerns about the striking department, with Igor Jesus managing only two Premier League goals despite seven in Europe — a new forward is considered an urgent priority whether Forest stay up or not.
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Survival, in short, is the foundation on which every single summer plan is built.
Nowhere is that more stark than in Forest's pursuit of a left-back who could transform their options in that department — but who will only consider the move if they are still a Premier League club.
Mathias Olivera open to joining Nottingham Forest if they stay up
Sport Witness dropped an exclusive report that Forest are still chasing a deal for Napoli's Mathías Olivera and have not given up on signing the Uruguayan international when the summer window opens.
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The left-back was a target in January under Sean Dyche, but no agreement could be reached with the Italian side.
The managerial upheaval that followed — Dyche out, Pereira in — has done nothing to cool Forest's interest. Sources indicate they remain active in their pursuit and are "still trying" to get a deal done.
The challenge is considerable.
Olivera signed a new contract with Antonio Conte's Napoli in March 2025, tying him to the club until 2030, which gives the Serie A champions firm control over any negotiations.
The defender, who has won multiple league titles across spells in Italy and Uruguay, is currently valued at £12.5 million, altough Napoli will not feel compelled to sell cheaply given the length of his deal.
Uruguay's Mathias Olivera in action with Mexico's Erick Sanchez
His appearances have been split this season — 19 league outings, ten of them starts — so regular top-flight football will be a draw.
Critically, Olivera himself is receptive to joining Forest.
The lure of the Premier League holds genuine appeal, but sources make clear that his willingness depends entirely on Forest securing survival.
Should they drop to the Championship, any chance of landing the the 28-year-old evaporates immediately.
It means Forest's remaining seven games are not simply a fight for their place at football's top table, they are also a fight for their entire summer vision.