Olympiacos are eyeing a shock move to sign Nottingham Forest star Sam Surridge, according to The Sun. Journalist Konstantinos Lianos has made the claim about the striker also wanted by Sunderland and Burnley.
The Greek champions are desperate to sign a new strike this month. Boss Michel has pleaded with Evangelos Marinakis for some more firepower and the owner could have something up his sleeve.
Surridge is way down the pecking order at Forest. Given how many chances he fluffed during a rare start against Blackpool on Saturday, his confidence is suffering somewhat too.
The 24-year-old needs regular minutes and if he gets them, he could thrive. Olympiacos are likely to try and take Surridge on loan this month, with Marinakis keen to make the deal happen.
It might not be a move that completely appeals to Surridge though. It was recently claimed that he wanted to stick at the City Ground beyond the transfer window to compete for a place.
The youngster has been at the club for just under a year. He arrived from Stoke for a fee of £2.3 million and scored eight times last season as the club won promotion to the Premier League.
His chances of game time at Forest look considerably bleaker by the week, however. He’s started just one game in the Premier League and has failed to score in the top flight yet.
Olympiacos eyeing shock Surridge move
This would be an interesting deal, to say the least. Although the striker needs to play regular football, there would be a significant settling-in period to the different culture in Greece.
Surridge knows that if he heads to the Championship he will score goals. Burnley are thought to be keen, with Sunderland also watching with intrigue at how the situation pans out.
It’s admirable that Surridge wants to stay. If the Reds land another striker, however, there is evidence to suggest that the striker will be shunted even further down the pecking order.
As a result, a departure on a temporary basis does look wise. Surridge can get some badly needed minutes, score some goals and head back to Forest next season with a point to prove.