Nottingham Forest are launching a bid to sign Danilo from Palmeiras for £18 million, according to The Telegraph. The Brazilian is also on the radar of Arsenal and he could leave his current club this month.
The Reds are desperate to bolster their midfield ranks this January. Cheikhou Kouyate is injured until March and that leaves Forest in short supply of central midfielders.
Remo Freuler, Ryan Yates and Orel Mangala are playing pretty well together. All three are pretty similar though and the team does lack a real midfield enforcer when those three play.
Steve Cooper has a number of targets in mind for his engine room. It would appear that Danilo is near the top of that list though and he fits the profile of a player that he would sign.
The Brazilian is only 21-years-old, yet has a fair amount of experience. During 2022 he made 58 appearances for Palmeiras, scoring seven goals and registering four assists as they won the league title.
Danilo would have a familiar face to help him settle at the City Ground. Gustavo Scarpa has already been added to the ranks, making two appearances for his new club so far.
Arsenal are still working on a deal too. That said, it’s unclear whether or not they will target another midfielder this month, with the Gunners going well in the Premier League.
Forest launching bid to sign Danilo
It looks as though there will be work to do on this one. The Reds will face competition and it could prove to be a complex deal with league leaders Arsenal in the mix.
They could have bigger fish to fry though. Mikel Arteta already has some real quality in midfield and he could place his eggs in other baskets for the January transfer window.
Danilo is a youngster who has made 141 appearances and that’s not to be sniffed at. He will still improve and looks like being a Brazil international in the making.
Rumour rating: 8/10 – This is one that we can firmly get behind! Danilo fits the profile of a great signing for Forest and he’d be a quality addition for the future.
Forest will go into this deal with their eyes wide open. He might use the club as a stepping stone to bigger things but if he does well, the club could make a massive profit on a transfer fee of £18 million.