Nottingham Forest have pressed ahead with a bid for Merih Demiral in the last few hours, according to Tutto Mercato Web. The 24-year-old isn’t convinced over a move to the Reds, however, and he needs persuading.
The central defender has been a regular in Serie A this season but Gian Piero Gasperini could now be ready to let him leave as he tries to reshuffle his squad on deadline day.
Demiral is no stranger to being linked with the Premier League. In previous transfer windows, he’s been courted by Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle from the English top flight.
Forest are still expecting a busy transfer deadline day. They are set to sign Felipe from Atletico Madrid and have also struck a deal to sign Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey.
Now, they’re targeting another centre-back and Demiral is probably one of the more seasoned 24-years-old players in the world, having moved around a lot during his career.
Forest are set to go all in on Demiral. The report claims that Forest wanted to loan Demiral and include an option to sign him permanently during the summer, but the player isn’t overly keen on the deal at this stage.
That is a shame as Demiral is proven in a European top flight. Prior to playing for Atalanta, he also made appearances for Juventus, Sassuolo, Sporting Lisbon and Alanyaspor in Turkey.
Demiral not convinced by Forest
This one has come somewhat out of the blue. Still, it seems clear that Forest are desperately trying to bolster their defensive options before tonight’s deadline.
Willy Boly and Joe Worrall have been the first-choice defenders lately. It could be that those two remain in place to compete with Felipe but time is running out to convince Demiral.
Italy legend Leonardo Bonucci heaped praise on Demiral back in May last year. He called him a ‘great person’ and a ‘great professional’ after Juventus came up against Atalanta.
The £60,000-a-week defender would have been a very useful signing for the Reds. He has lots of experience playing men’s football and he would have been real statement signing for Forest.