Nottingham Forest could sign £15m defender compared to Virgil van Dijk as Olympiacos cannot afford him

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Nottingham Forest could now sign a defender compared to Virgil van Dijk – as Olympiacos cannot afford to trigger their option to buy.

Despite winning the UEFA Conference League last season, the Greek giants – who Evangelos Marinakis also owns – are not in a position to sign one of their loan stars permanently, with sources in Portugal now suggesting that Nottingham Forest could pick up the deal instead.

So, who might the Reds sign? Let’s take a look…

Nottingham Forest could sign David Carmo

A story from Record in Portugal now states that Nottingham Forest could take over a deal to sign David Carmo as Olympiacos struggle to finance it.

The Greek Super League outfit had taken the Angola international on loan for the 2023/24 campaign, and also negotiated an option to buy him from Porto permanently for €17.5m (£15m).

However, the Portuguese news outlet state that Olympiacos can only fund another loan deal, before hinting that Marinakis could instead take Carmo to the City Ground.

Record add that Wolves and Leicester are also hoping to sign the 24-year-old this summer, and have already made contact with Porto to ask what it would take to secure his signature.

Carmo made 35 appearances in all competitions across the 2023/24 campaign, starring in the centre of defence as Olympiacos won the UEFA Conference League.

Evangelos Marinakis could supply Nuno Espirito Santo with his own Virgil van Dijk

Carmo is not exactly a household name in English football, so a comparison to a better known player may be helpful to some.

Interestingly, the man from Aveiro has been compared to Liverpool No.4 Van Dijk.

It was the Manchester Evening News who compared Carmo to the Netherlands international, while Jose Carvalho Araujo – who used to work with the defender at Braga – has also likened him to Sergio Ramos, adding that he could play for Real Madrid.

The 42-year-old told Noticias Ao Minuto: “Without a doubt he has the quality to be in a big team, like Real Madrid. He’s one of those players who creates a good atmosphere in the locker room. He may not yet be as charismatic as Sergio Ramos, but he could be with age.”

A story from The Athletic has only recently claimed that Nuno would like to sign a new central defender as the Portuguese tactician eyes long-term replacements for Willy Boly.

READ MORE: Nottingham Forest have made a signing and are just waiting until after June 30th to pay

Therefore, the chance to sign Carmo for £15m could entice Nottingham Forest – be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as anything could happen.