Nottingham Forest transfer news: Nantes make bid for Brice Samba

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Nantes have made a bid to sign Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba, according to Football Insider. The goalkeeper has reportedly told the Reds that he’s not willing to sign a new contract with the club.

The 28-year-old has been with Forest since 2019. He was signed by Sabri Lamouchi and it was thought that he’d be viewed as a backup option to Manchester City loanee Arijanet Muric.

He quickly became the first choice custodian though. Muric was erratic at best and Samba’s calm and composed nature earned him the gloves under Lamouchi’s tenure.

Now, Nantes could be about to strengthen their own goalkeeping department. Regular stopper Alban Lafont could be on his way this summer and was linked with Barcelona in February.

Samba has now been identified as the man to replace him. Football Insider claims that a bid has been made to Forest to try and secure the services of an integral part of the team’s promotion-winning team.

Losing Samba would be a massive blow. He’s played for the club 133 times, keeping 45 clean sheets and he’s developed into a firm fan favourite on Trentside.

The goalkeeper enjoyed his defining moment in a Forest shirt during the play-off second leg against Sheffield United. He saved three penalties in the shootout and also made two brilliant saves during normal time.

As a result, his departure would sting and Forest will be desperately hoping a compromise can be reached.

Nantes bid for Samba and Forest need to act

The Reds could need as many as 10 new players during the summer transfer window. With that in mind, they can ill-afford to be adding a goalkeeper to their list of needed requirements too.

Samba deserves a shot at the Premier League. Furthermore, he deserves a contract extension that represents how important he is to the team following his recent heroics.

Nantes are a well-respected club in France. They nurture young talent and as a result, it perhaps wouldn’t be a bad move for Samba to make if he’s keen to leave.

They finished ninth in Ligue 1 last season and will be hoping to try and gatecrash into the places that secure European football during 2022/23.

Forest will have their own ambitions though and they will hope Samba can be persuaded to commit his future to the club before the Premier League campaign gets underway.