Report: Juventus give Nottingham Forest green light to move for £16.5m star, but there's a problem

12/29/2024 07:01 AM

The January transfer window is set to be an intriguing one for Nottingham Forest, with Nuno Espirito Santo knowing that the right deal could help secure European football.

With Forest beating Tottenham on Boxing Day, Espirito Santo’s side are set to enter 2025 in one of the European qualification places, with only one match left in 2024 against Everton.

This success in the first half of the season makes the January transfer window a difficult one to navigate for Evangelos Marinakis, with no area of the Forest squad needing to be addressed urgently.

Added quality for the Forest manager is the obvious move, then, with Raul Moro linked to Forest as a potential option outwide. Johan Bakayoko has been linked with Forest as well, with the PSV winger a more expensive option for added attacking flair.

A creative midfielder could also be an option for Marinakis. Forest are looking at James McAtee according to reports, but another option who has been linked is Italian midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, with new details emerging that will be of keen interest to Forest.

Nicolo Fagioli is free to leave Juventus in January

Forest were linked with Fagioli earlier in December, with the latest updates coming from Italy suggesting that the Juventus midfielder will be available to Espirito Santo in the New Year should the club choose to move for him.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Fagioli will leave Juventus in the January window whether that is to the City Ground or not as boss Thiago Motta has only given the midfielder five starts in Serie A this season.

Fagioli has seen limited opportunities under Motta, having initially broken into the Juventus team when Italian icon Andrea Pirlo was in charge. He could provide a mix of the battling qualities of Ryan Yates and the creativity of Elliot Anderson, making him a potentially useful option for the Forest manager.

However, the report continued with details of other interested clubs that could make a deal for Fagioli a difficult one for Forest to complete.

Napoli are in the driving seat for Nicolo Fagioli

The report said: “Napoli have overtaken Marseille in their efforts to sign the midfielder for around €20m-€25m,” which could see Forest out of the running for Fagioli before the January window even opens.

The fee itself shouldn’t be an issue for Marinakis and Forest, converting to around £16.5m for the internationally-capped midfielder.

With Napoli leading the chase for Fagioli, though, Espirito Santo may have difficulties in convincing the target to move over to England.

Under Antonio Conte, Napoli are firmly in the Serie A title picture, so Forest’s offering of potential European football won’t be a unique one.

A deal for Fagioli is far from impossible, but the Napoli interest may force the Forest owner to pivot towards one of his other midfield targets.