Nottingham Forest have made a move for Strasbourg defender Alexander Djiku as he prepares to become a free agent.
That is according to French newspaper L’Equipe, who claim that Forest have sent a proposal to Djiku.
The Ghanaian international is out of contract in just a matter of days and can leave Strasbourg for absolutely nothing.
Strasbourg are trying to convince Djiku to stay with a new contract but their attempts have so far proved fruitless.
Djiku could now move on for free and interest is mounting with Forest facing a battle for his signature.
The report states that Besiktas and Bundesliga side Mainz are both interested, as are Strasbourg’s French rivals Lille.
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Djiku faces a big decision in the coming days; stay with Strasbourg or try his luck elsewhere.
A move to Forest would surely appeal, presenting Djiku with a chance to play in the Premier League, but this race is far from a foregone conclusion.
Who is Nottingham Forest target Alexander Djiku?
Djiku was born in Montpellier over in France but started his career in the ranks of Bastia.
After 45 league appearances for Bastia, Djiku moved on to Caen in 2017 and featured regular in two years there.
2019 brought another move though as Djiku switched French sides again, this time joining Strasbourg.
Djiku has been a regular for Strasbourg and now has more than 100 appearances to his name.
Djiku is of Ghanaian heritage and switched his allegiance to the Black Stars in 2020, picking up 20 caps so far – including some at the World Cup in Qatar.
That means Djiku currently plays under former Nottingham Forest boss Chris Hughton, who is now in charge of the Ghanaian national team.
The 28-year-old has almost entirely played as a centre back in his career but does have some experience at right back.
Not exactly the tallest defender at 6ft tall, Djiku may be viewed as a player who can be ideal as the right-sided centre back in a three-man defence.
Whether Steve Cooper wants to play that way remains to be seen, but it’s also worth noting that Djiku wouldn’t solve a potential Forest problem.
Willy Boly and Moussa Niakhate are in line to play at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, meaning more defensive cover may be wanted.
Djiku would surely be heading off with Ghana though and would be unable to cover for Boly or Niakhate, making him a somewhat surprising Forest target.