Nottingham Forest are now more likely to sign PSG goalkeeper Sergio Rico than they are Keylor Navas, according to the Daily Mail. The Reds have been linked with a move to sign the Costa Rican all month but now the French champions are playing hard ball.
Forest are hoping to tie up a new goalkeeper ahead of today’s transfer deadline. Dean Henderson is expected to miss around a month of action, with Wayne Hennessey currently deputising.
Navas would have been a useful addition to the Forest ranks. However, signing a player who has won the Champions League three times always seemed an ambitious move by the Reds.
Rico is the third-choice stopper at PSG. He’s not played a single game during the 2022/23 campaign and it would appear they’re keener to let him leave instead of Navas.
The 29-year-old has played in England previously during his career. He made 32 appearances for Fulham during the 2018/19 campaign, keeping six clean sheets as the Cottagers were relegated.
Rico has found first-team football hard to come by in Paris. He’s made just 24 appearances for the club and could now leave the French capital to sign for Forest before tonight’s deadline.
Forest more likely to sign Rico than Navas
It has to be said that this link with Navas has proved nothing more than an anti-climax. Although it seemed somewhat ambitious, the Reds now look to have been offered Rico as an alternative.
With PSG still in the mix to win Ligue 1 and the Champions League, they want to keep Navas. Gianluigi Donnarumma is the first choice and naturally, the French champions want a reliable backup.
Navas earns £200,000-a-week and Rico’s salary of £41,000-a-week will be far more affordable from a Forest perspective – even if the quality of the goalkeeper will come down somewhat.
Still, Rico is a steady performer. Vicente Del Bosque has previously praised the stopper after selecting him to play for Spain back in 2016.
Rumour rating: 6/10 – Although signing Navas would have been a fantastic addition, this one isn’t a bad signing either.
Rico has won the Europa League three times during his time with Sevilla andhe would be a viable alternative to Navas.