Nottingham Forest have submitted a bid to Galatasaray for defender Victor Nelsson, according to reports, as Steve Cooper looks to bolster his defensive options ahead of the Premier League season.

The Midlands club haven’t been afraid to splash the cash so far this summer, welcoming Antony Elanga, Ola Aina, and Matt Turner, as well as turning Chris Wood’s initial loan deal permanent.

What’s the latest on Victor Nelsson to Nottingham Forest?

The Premier League side have submitted a bid worth €18m (£16m), with bonuses seeing it potentially rise to €22m (£19m), according to Aksam, via Sport Witness, who have reported that Galatasaray are ready to accept the offer to fend off any future Financial Fair Play issues.

The Turkish side initially wanted the defender’s €25m (£22m) release clause to be triggered, according to reports, but have seemingly been forced to settle for Forest’s offer.

With the Premier League season getting underway, Steve Cooper will be keen to welcome Nelsson as soon as possible, in order to find his best starting line-up quickly and avoid a relegation battle.

Forest have, of course, been helped by the fact that the defender is willing to accept the move, with a reported desire to play in a bigger league such as England’s top flight.

With that said, the deal is certainly one to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

Should Nottingham Forest sign Victor Nelsson?

nelsson for Denmark

Desperately hoping to avoid a dreaded case of second season syndrome, Nottingham Forest must welcome all the quality that they can get. And, whilst the focus has mainly been on attacking reinforcements this summer, with the arrival of Elanga particularly exciting, now could be the best time to reinforce their backline.

Last season, Forest conceded 68 goals – the fifth most in the league – highlighting just how much they could do with a central defender this summer, which is where Nelsson would come in.

For Galatasaray last season, the central defender made 35 appearances in all competitions, playing a crucial part as his side won the Turkish Super Lig in dominant fashion, securing the title by eight points. It perhaps sums up the power of the Premier League that Forest are in a position to target such players, after facing a relegation battle last season.

If they can secure the signature of the defender, Forest fans may breathe a sigh of relief, with their campaign getting underway with a trip to Arsenal in a difficult start. Whilst their attack is impressive, Forest’s survival status could come down to whether the can remain firm defensively, something that Nelsson would certainly help.

Speaking on his side’s summer business so far, Cooper told TalkSport, via Nottinghamshire Live: “We need more players, to be honest. We have to be open enough to talk about signings. I think quite rightly there was a feeling that we just signed a load of players. It was unique what happened last summer, and something that hasn’t happened before.

“It ended up serving as a big motivation to me to make sure we succeeded where there was a feeling that we couldn’t. We now are going through that normal process of having a squad and wanting to do better than last year.”