Gustavo Scarpa has claimed that he’s definitely joining Nottingham Forest in January during an interview with ESPN.
The Brazilian has been linked with the Reds since the summer, with his Palmeiras contract to expire in December.
It has initially been expected that Scarpa would join Olympiacos prior to heading to the City Ground for next season.
That was only mooted, however, if the Greek champions were still in the Champions League come January.
Olympiacos didn’t even qualify for the competition and now Scarpa has no desire to move to Greece.
With speculation rife over his future, the 28-year-old attacker has now cleared up the situation.
He told ESPN: “At first, the offer was to play for Olympiacos. To play in the Champions League. They ended up not qualifying.
“I called Abel (his agent), I wanted to help to facilitate my exit. The dream was not to play in Greece.
“(Abel) Ferreira said: ‘don’t go to Greece, it’s not your place. But you can go to England’.
“When the question of Nottingham Forest came up directly, he told me: ‘it’s the best league in the world’.”
Scarpa joining Forest
The Brazilian will be gracing the City Ground with his presence in January.
On the face of things, it looks like he could be a useful signing and he normally operates on the left.
During the current campaign, he’s made 53 appearances, scoring 11 goals and claiming 13 assists.
He will likely leave Palmeiras on the back of a league title win, with the club clear at the top of the league.
Scarpa has a dream to play in Europe though and at 28, he should be at the peak of his powers.
The challenge for the current crop of Forest stars is to ensure that the Reds are still in the relegation fight when he arrives.
Right now, things look bleak and they face Aston Villa tonight on the back of five straight defeats.
Scarpa’s arrival after the World Cup could be crucial and it looks like an intriguing signing by Forest.