Nottingham Forest are close to an eighth summer signing as Nuno Espirito Santo looks to finalise his squad ahead of the transfer window.
Forest don’t have much work to do in the market but there are doubts over the left-back area and another striker would be a wonderful addition.
The Reds now look to have solved their left-back dilemma and the player who is set to sign for the club was almost a Forest player back in 2022.
Now, a deal looks to be edging closer to completion and the player should be signed in time to play at Southampton on Saturday.
Nottingham Forest agree deal to sign Aston Villa star Alex Moreno
This transfer has been two years in the making and clearly, the Reds haven’t held any grudges over Moreno.
Forest had agreed terms with Real Bets to sign Moreno for £11 million back in the summer of 2022 – but at the eleventh hour, he chose to remain with the La Liga outfit.
Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, Forest have booked a medical for Moreno ahead of a season-long loan move from Aston Villa.
That will take place today and the player should be announced as a Forest player at some point today.
Furthermore, Forest will hold an option to buy Moreno next summer should the loan move go according to plan.
The 31-year-old signed for the Villans in January 2023 with other clubs becoming alerted to his availability after he decided to reject Forest.
Moreno has made 48 appearances for Villa since arriving at the club, scoring three goals and claiming three assists.
Last season was a frustrating one for the defender as he had to force his way back from a hamstring problem and then try and work his way into Unai Emery’s plans.
He made 29 appearances and helped Villa reach the Champions League with a top-four finish in the Champions League.
Moreno could prove to be shrewd Forest signing
The one major aspect that Moreno will bring to the Forest backline is balance. Although Ola Aina has proved a quality signing, he’s not naturally left-footed.
That does hinder Forest and Moreno looks to boast all of the attributes that Espirito Santo likes to see in his wing-backs.
Who Scored showcases that he likes to dribble with the ball and possesses strong levels of concentration when he’s on the pitch.
The one worry is the hamstring injury that kept Moreno out for six months at the end of 2022/23 and at the start of last season.
However, he looks to be over that now and did play a big part in the pre-season campaign under Emery at Villa.
This signing has been a long time coming from a Forest perspective and hopefully, Moreno can hit the ground running at the City Ground.
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