Renan Lodi is being talked up for a return to Nottingham Forest after Marseille opted to walk away from talks with Atletico Madrid. The left-back is set to leave the Spanish capital this summer with Diego Simeone deeming him surplus to requirements.
Lodi was at the City Ground for the 2022/23 campaign, with Forest staying in the Premier League. He arrived on a season-long loan deal but the club did turn down the option to sign him for £25 million.
In the opinion of the club’s hierarchy, they feel that Lodi can be obtained at a cheaper price. Now, AS are claiming that he’s valued at around £17 million and Forest are the most realistic option to land him.
Any deal that sees Lodi return to the City Ground will likely be a popular one among the fan base. Although the 25-year-old struggled when he first arrived on Trentside, he settled after the World Cup and proved his worth.
Lodi made 32 appearances for the football club and clearly cared about the club deeply when he was on loan. After Forest beat Arsenal to secure their Premier League status, he sobbed on the field as he couldn’t bottle the emotion any longer.
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Marseille look to have walked away over the price of Lodi. They will enter the Champions League at the qualifying round next season and they’re looking to bolster their squad ahead of that.
Interestingly, someone who used to play for Forest might have identified Lodi as a target. Mathieu Louis-Jean is currently overseeing the recruitment at Marseille and he appears to have been watching Lodi closely.
Marseille opt out of Lodi deal and Forest are now the frontrunners
Playing in the Champions League is clearly something that Lodi would love to do. Benfica won the Portuguese title last year and they have also been linked with Lodi already this summer.
It would appear that the Forest interest simply won’t go away, however. The club are keen to bring him back to the City Ground but it will likely depend on what the player wants to do.
Lodi would be a good signing for several reasons. Not only has he proved he can play in the Premier League but at 25-years-old, he will only continue to grow with the more football he plays.
Furthermore, signing Lodi would bring some continuity to the Forest rearguard. Towards the end of the campaign, togetherness was evident and continuing that next season would be ideal.