Report: Nottingham Forest blow as exciting winger has decided he wants to join Crystal Palace instead
Yesterday at 05:41 AM
Nottingham Forest have prioritised consolidation in the January transfer window thus far, but Nuno Espirito Santo will still be keen to add more quality to his squad if possible.
Whilst no new signings have come into the City Ground in January, Forest have agreed a new contract with Murillo which will be of great relief to Espirito Santo.
There is also optimism that Chris Wood will sign a new Forest deal in the coming weeks, highlighting how much Evangelos Marinakis has prioritised keeping together his European football-chasing Forest squad.
However, adding further quality is always a possibility for any club, with Forest’s interest in Igor Jesus showing that a deal could be made if the player offers new attributes to Espirito Santo’s side.
Espirito Santo had also been looking at potential wide options in attack, but a recent report has suggested that Crystal Palace have beaten Forest to one of their preferred options.
Crystal Palace close in on Romain Esse deal
Forest were linked with Romain Esse of Millwall ahead of the transfer window, with the 19-year-old greatly impressing scouts in his breakthrough Championship campaign.
According to TEAMtalk, though, Palace have moved clear of Forest in the pursuit of the exciting English winger.
The report said: “Millwall star Romain Esse is much coveted and Crystal Palace are in direct talks as they look to strike an agreement.
“The winger – who can also play in the No 10 role – is extremely keen to join Palace and hopes the clubs are able to reach an agreement soon. Palace have had one offer rebuffed but are working to meet Millwall's demands and convince them to sell.”
Whilst Esse’s talent was clearly spotted by the Forest manager, the report went on to suggest that it was the proactivity of Palace that has helped them move clear of any transfer rivals.
It wasn’t just this proactivity, though, as Palace had one clear advantage over Forest that would’ve made the deal much harder for Marinakis.
Crystal Palace’s key advantage over Forest in Romain Esse chase
Transfer dealings are always a complicated affair, but the report detailed that Palace’s relationship with Esse’s agent helped them remain confident about beating Forest to the deal.
The report said: “His agency are no strangers to working with Palace as they currently represent Marc Guehi, Maxence Lacroix, Jeffrey Schlupp, Louie Moulden, Dylan Reid and Finley Marjoram, who are all contracted at the club.
“This is something that could help Palace secure a deal, as positive relationships between the club and agency have opened up the opportunity for them to land Esse.”
A deal for Esse was a difficult one for the Forest owner to complete from the very start, therefore, making Espirito Santo’s chances of having a new wide player in his squad seem unlikely in January.
Alongside the supposed failure of the Esse pursuit, Forest also look set to miss out on another winger as Ajax have made Raul Moro their priority, showing that Espirito Santo will need to settle for the talent he already has at his disposal.
