Nottingham Forest were linked with a move for Romain Saiss this summer. Now, he’s very close to heading to Qatar where he’s expected to sign for Al-Sadd.
The Reds have been linked with the defender on a few occasions. Interest was said to have intensified this summer, with Saiss available for just £4 million.
Last season he was at Besiktas where he was integral. He made 26 appearances for the club and during the campaign, he also helped Morocco reach the last four of the World Cup.
Saiss has bags of experience in England. He made over 200 appearances for Wolves, helping the team win promotion to the Premier League and then stabilise as a top-flight outfit.
Forest will go in search of a new central defender this summer. The need for one was intensified last night as Moussa Niakhate was substituted with a dislocated elbow during a 1-0 defeat to Valencia.
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Saiss is now set to head to Qatar where he will likely finish his career. Foot Mercato are running the story that says he’s just one step away from completing the transfer.
It’s not clear why he held a desire to leave Besiktas after just a single season in Turkey. However, he’s now clearly going to see out his playing days at a club where he will likely earn a fortune.
Forest-linked Saiss is set to move to Qatar
This isn’t a major loss from a Forest perspective. Saiss would have been a very short-term fix at 33-years-old, whilst he’s hardly a signing that you can imagine Steve Cooper picking.
The defender will now head off to the Middle East. That seems like a trendy thing to do this summer and Forest will be hoping they can get their top targets in.
Other defenders have been linked with a move to Forest. The Reds likely be in the mix to sign a few quality additions and Saiss would have only been a stopgap.
This looks like a good saga for Forest to park. The Reds must move quickly now, however, to ensure their squad is ready for the Premier League campaign.