BARNSLEY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 29: Steve Cooper, Manager of Nottingham Forest celebrates after victory in the Sky Bet Championship match between Barnsley and Nottingham Forest at Oakwell Stadium on September 29, 2021 in Barnsley, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Report: Nottingham Forest now want to beat Leeds to signing of £15m PL player
Nottingham Forest have joined Leeds United in the race to sign Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
That is according to Alan Nixon, who reports Forest have now switched their attention towards Harwood-Bellis after a frustrating summer of failing to land centre-back targets.
Forest had made an offer for AS Roma’s Roger Ibanez before he instead moved to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, while Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah is also expected to reject their advances.
As such, they could now launch a move for Man City’s Harwood-Bellis, with the Premier League champions having slapped a £15 million price tag on his head.
As per Nixon, that valuation has put Burnley, Fulham, West Ham United and Leeds off pursuing a permanent deal for the 21-year-old.
Forest want to beat Leeds to Harwood-Bellis signing
Leeds are believed to be keen on adding another central defender to Daniel Farke’s squad despite having signed Joe Rodon on a season-long-loan from Tottenham Hotspur last week.
According to talkSPORT, captain Liam Cooper has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia and is also expected to miss the next two months after picking up an injury on the opening day./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70378003/1236518719.0.jpg)
As per John Percy of the Daily Telegraph, Leeds remain keen on doing a loan deal for Harwood-Bellis but also face competition from Leicester City and Southampton.
Given he has just 12 months left to run on his current contract at City, he would have to sign a new deal for them to let him out on loan.
With that in mind, a permanent exit is likely to suit City more which could hand Forest the upper hand.
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Nottingham Forest: Reds make Nuno Tavares offer
The player had an afternoon to forget at the City Grund previously.
Nottingham Forest have made a move to sign Arsenal full-back Nuno Tavares, with Fabrizio Romano sharing whether or not a transfer could be permanent.
Are Nottingham Forest signing Nuno Tavares?
The Reds have been relatively quiet this summer in the transfer market compared to 12 months ago, with just four deals completed so far ahead of the September 1 deadline.
Chris Wood saw his loan move become permanent from Newcastle United, whereas Anthony Elanga has completed a move from Manchester United. Goalkeeper Matt Turner arrived from Arsenal and Ola Aina on a free transfer from Torino, but it looks as if Steve Cooper wants further additions ver the coming weeks, recently saying:
“I have to trust the club to crack on with the work. My work is to work with the team every day, come in every day and try to get the best out of them. That’s why, at half-time, I was telling them, ‘come on, guys, you can do better than this’.
“If we are able to add, great. If not, we’ll carry on. But in my opinion, we do need to add.”
It looks as if a new left-back appears to be of interest to those at the City Ground, with news on Arsenal defender Tavares emerging.
Romano took to X in the last 48 hours to share what he’s heard on Forest and a potential move for Tavares. The transfer expert claimed that the Reds have submitted a formal proposal to sign the full-back on a permanent basis, with talks ongoing with the player’s representatives.
“Nottingham Forest submit formal proposal to sign Arsenal left back Nuno Tavares on permanent deal. Forest trying top signing as new fullback as negotiations are still ongoing also on player side. Deal on.”
Who is Nuno Tavares?
Tavares is 23 years of age and is primarily a left-back who can also turn out as a right-back or a left-midfielder when required.
He made the move to the Emirates from Benfica back in 2021 but struggled during his first year in north London and was even replaced in the first half of an FA Cup clash at the City Ground following a poor display, reacting angrily to the decision.
However, he went on loan to Ligue 1 side Marseille last season and appeared to impress, resulting in his Transfermarkt valuation increasing to a career-high €18m.
Tavares made 39 appearances in all competitions for Marseille, with manager Igor Tudor hailing him as a player with “outstanding” running ability who could turn out for Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester City.
“Nuno’s still a young player but he has fantastic physical capabilities. He’s got an outstanding ability to run. He could play at Real, at Barcelona, at Man City… he still needs to grow and progress, we talk a lot to him.”
The full-back already has a year of experience in England with Arsenal, so could prove to be a shrewd signing if he is able to continue his form from France, and by the looks of things, a move is one to watch over the coming days.
