Nottingham Forest have an option to buy Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca when the summer transfer window opens
12:29, 14 Apr 2026
Nottingham Forest striker Lorenzo Lucca
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Nottingham Forest striker Lorenzo Lucca(Image: PA)
On-loan striker Lorenzo Lucca’s Nottingham Forest spell has been described as a “nightmare” and it seemingly has implications for his future.
The Napoli forward is spending the second half of the season with the Reds but his stint hasn’t exactly worked out as hoped. To date, he has made just seven appearances in the Garibaldi, including three starts, and has scored only one goal.
Lucca hasn’t featured since starting Forest’s 2-1 Europa League win over Midtjylland last month. He wasn’t even in the squad for Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Aston Villa at the City Ground.
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With last term’s top scorer Chris Wood fit again after a six-month lay-off, the Italian faces an even tougher fight for minutes in the remaining games. And with that, all the signs point to the Reds not taking up their option to sign him permanently in the summer.
Forest would reportedly need to splash out €40 million (£35m) to secure Lucca’s signature on a permanent basis. They are unlikely to do so - even worse for Napoli, the player’s value is said to have plummeted amid his struggles in English football.
According to Italian publication Area Napoli, Lucca’s price tag has dropped to between €20-18m (£17.5-15.5m). He is expected to return to his parent club in the summer and their intention is said to be to sell him - although not to Forest.
The 25-year-old is said to have had a “season to forget” and has time Trentside has “turned into a nightmare”. He has shown little signs of replicating the form of 2024/25 which saw him bag 14 goals for Udinese.
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Some Italian reports have suggested Lucca has been struggling with an ankle problem. However, Reds head coach Vitor Pereira previously suggested the player needed to prove himself in training to earn playing time.
On Sunday, Pereira addressed the absence of Lucca, along with that of fellow front man Taiwo Awoniyi, from the match squad against Villa. He said “I’m very happy with my players. When you prepare for a game and decide your squad, you think about what problems you might have.
“If I have a problem with my striker (Igor Jesus), I have Chris Wood on the bench. If I want to play with two strikers, Igor didn’t play 90 minutes in the last game (against Porto) and is in condition to play, so if I want to play with both, I can play with both.
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“I need to have solutions for the wingers. I need to have solutions for the midfielders. It was not about Taiwo or about Lucca, it was about the balance of the list.”
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