Nottingham Forest are working hard to try and tie up a deal to sign Nino, although there has been a stumbling block.
Brazilian publication TNT Sports have recently claimed that a deal for Nino to go to Forest is no longer certain.
They feel that other clubs are now in the mix to sign the player. As a result, they claim that such a factor could complicate matters.
Still, all is not lost as Esporte claim that Forest are seeking to ensure a resolution to get this deal over the line.
Forest are very keen to get the central defender on board. It seems as though the club will be doing all they can to add to their squad again in January.
Nino is very much on the radar of Forest. Here we take a look at everything you need to know right now.
Nino, the story so far
Very few defenders are currently competing at the level that Nino is in the Brazilian top flight.
He has been with Fluminense for the majority of his career and is part of the furniture at the club.
His current club took him from Criciuma after just 53 appearances and he’s become one of the top defenders in Brazil.
Nino has been a mainstay in the Fluminense team since he signed for the club, making 234 appearances.
His most recent triumph with his current club came when Nino played a starring role in the Copa Libertadores final success.
During the most recent campaign, Nino has been in fine form, making 52 appearances and scoring five times from centre-back.
Nino was also rewarded for his recent efforts by being called into the Brazil squad for games against Colombia and Argentina.
Nino player profile
- Age: 26
- Date of birth: 10/04/1997
- Position: Centre-back
- Club: Fluminense
- Former clubs: Criciuma
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Contract: Until December 31st 2024
Nino, what they say
Forest fans will be very intrigued by what Globo said about Nino after the Copa Libertadores victory over Boca Juniors.
After a commanding performance, they wrote: “A monster. Good interceptions, always safe in the boats, he blocked several shots at the end and still knew how to beat the Argentines, causing Fabra to be sent off when Fluminense was one down.”
Furthermore, Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt is a big fan of Nino as a player. It was claimed that he wanted to offer the defender a 10-year contract, despite the fact he has his heart set on a move to Europe.
According to Who Scored, Nino has a number of strengths. They include passing and concentrations, whilst his style of play is based on playing short passes and not diving into tackles.
How Nino fits in at Forest
This will be a fascinating one in fairness given that Forest have a number of central defensive options.
It was suggested recently that the Reds wanted to sign a right-sided version of Murillo.
The 21-year-old has been in fine form since his £11 million switch from Corinthians and Forest have done well with the South American market.
Clearly, Nino is a right-sided option and he will compete with the likes of Willy Boly, Joe Worrall and Felipe for a pace.
At the moment, Murillo is playing alongside Moussa Niakhate. It’s been so good that Steve Cooper will be hoping they can continue polishing that relationship after the international break.
Nino will definitely be signed with one eye on the future too.
At 26-years-old, he has years left ahead of him, whilst Boly, Felipe and Scott McKenna are all out of contract next summer.
Nino to Nottingham Forest, analysis
A club trying to establish themselves as a Premier League club can never have too many defenders.
Nino would enhance the quality within the squad and there is a solid argument that he’d already provide an upgrade on most of the current options.
Naturally, the jury would be out for a little while. Nino hasn’t played anywhere other than Brazil but the signs do look positive.
It’s claimed that Forest are going to pay just £6 million for Nino. Naturally, a number of add-ons will be included but that does look like a steal.
Taking everything into consideration, there is a lot to like here.
Nino looks like a player who never shirks his defensive responsibilities and hopefully, Forest can get this one wrapped up.
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