Report: Nottingham Forest want Leverkusen star Odilon Kossounou

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Bayer Leverkusen defender Odilon Kossounou has emerged as a transfer target for Nottingham Forest, according to The Sun. West Ham and Leicester are also keen on signing the player who is keen to leave Germany.

Kossounou has emerged as a target for several Premier League clubs. The Reds enquired about his teammate, Jonathan Tah but were turned down by Leverkusen who didn’t want to sell.

It seems quite clear that the Reds want to strengthen their rearguard in the summer. Several links have already emerged with defenders, with Kossounou now the latest name.

Signing the centre-back won’t be easy and he certainly won’t come cheap. It’s claimed in the latest report that Leverkusen want to recoup £25 million for the defender during the summer.

The 22-year-old has a contract with Leverkusen until 2026. He signed for the Bundesliga outfit from Club Brugge in 2021 and he’s also played in Sweden for Hammerby.

Kossounou has been linked with a move to the Premier League in the past. In February 2021, Arsenal were considering signing him before he moved to Leverkusen.

It would seem as though Kossounou is keen to leave for more football. He’s started just eight times for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and clearly, he wants more starts.

Kossounou has emerged as a Forest target

This would be an interesting signing for the Reds. Naturally, they do need to ensure that they stay in the Premier League before targeting players of this nature in the summer.

Kossounou is big, strong and capable of playing out from the back. Ultimately, he’s exactly the sort of signing that Steve Cooper would relish within his squad of players.

The Reds will need another central defender or two. Moussa Niakhate has had injury problems, with the jury still out on Joe Worrall and Scott McKenna at Premier League level.

Steve Cook will be out of contract in the summer and Felipe isn’t getting any younger. As a result, Kossounou would be a very useful signing and Forest will hope to win the race for the young Ivorian.