Report: Stunning claim as Nottingham Forest star is open to joining Europa League club
Yesterday at 01:00 PM
Nottingham Forest are flying in the Premier League just now and boast 40 points from 20 games with the season over the halfway stage.
It’s been quite a ride for Forest under Nuno Espirito Santo. After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, the head coach has been in no mood for a repeat performance during 2024/25.
Gary Lineker has changed his mind on Forest already this season and other pundits have followed suit following tedious pre-season predictions that marked the Reds down for relegation.
The January transfer window is now open for business and the priorities for Forest are very different this year. Instead of going after several new faces, the challenge will be to keep the current squad intact.
A number of players have been linked with moves away from the City Ground. Liverpool fancy Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson, however, it’s unlikely those two players will depart any time soon.
Galatasaray fancy trying to poach Forest star Ola Aina
The Turkish giants have been interested in certain Forest players before. Nicolas Dominguez was a target for Galatasaray during the summer window but nothing came of it.
Now, attention looks to have turned to Aina. The versatile full-back is out of contract during the summer and he’s now free to discuss pre-contract terms with clubs outside of England.
According to Turkish outlet Sabah, Aina is also open to the move to Galatasaray and in fairness, that does feel somewhat wide of the mark given how happy the defender appears at Forest.
In further contrast to their claim, it’s believed that Galatasaray need to raise funds to sign him during this window. Current full-back option Elias Jelert is out of favour but they won’t recoup the £7 million which they paid for him.
Aina will remain at Forest beyond the end of the season
It says how comical these reports are when it’s already been claimed that Forest will trigger an extension in Aina’s contract. That claim was made by Sky Sports and they have to be viewed as a more reputable source.
The 28-year-old will then enter discussions over an even longer contract to remain at Forest. He’s been integral during the current campaign and Espirito Santo is a big fan of his.
These reports don’t make a deal of sense. Indeed, Galatasaray might like the look of Aina but it’s hard to get on board with the notion that he’s open to the move when Forest are producing the goods on the pitch.
