Nottingham Forest set sights on ‘luxury’ attacker four years younger than Yoane Wissa

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Nottingham Forest have been frustrated at every turn in their pursuit of another attacker in January, but Evangelos Marinakis is refusing to give up on improving his side.

A striker seemed to be Forest’s primary target, especially given West Ham’s interest in Taiwo Awoniyi seemed to be picking up pace in the window.

However, West Ham have moved on from Awoniyi which limits both the Forest squad space and the financial ability to find a third striking option for Nuno Espirito Santo.

This makes Forest’s interest in Yoane Wissa seem unlikely to go any further, leaving Marinakis with a dilemma of what position he could truly improve for Forest in January.

Forest have also been linked with a potential addition out wide, with Millwall’s Romain Esse one of the preferred choices. However, Esse has chosen Crystal Palace over Forest, adding an extra bite to a new report suggesting that the two clubs will battle Fiorentina for the signature of another exciting winger.

• READ MORE: Who is Yoane Wissa? The 12-goal Brentford ace who Nottingham Forest are chasing in January

Nottingham Forest set their sites on ‘luxury’ Luiz Henrique

According to Firenze Viola, Forest are set to challenge Fiorentina for the signing of Botofogo talent, Luiz Henrique.

The report suggests that Henrique had “given his approval” to the Italian side for a potential move to Florence, but the club have yet to agree a fee with Botafogo.

With Forest said to be keen on the winger, the report described “strong pressure” from the Premier League side who are likely to be in a stronger financial position than Fiorentina.

Henrique could be a “luxury reserve” option for Espirito Santo according to the report, which is what a striker such as Wissa would be if he were still to come to the City Ground.

However, Henrique’s age, alongside his incredibly encouraging statistics for Botofogo, suggests that he could well be a favourable alternative for the Forest manager.

How Luiz Henrique compares to Yoane Wissa

At 24, Henrique has four years on Wissa to prove himself capable of eclipsing the Brentford man’s numbers in the Premier League. Positively, though, his stats for Botofogo last season were a step in the right direction.

Clearly, Wissa is the more reliable goalscorer given that it took Henrique 55 games to score as many goals as the Congolese forward has in half a season. However, the Brazilian star offers stronger creative flair.

If the Forest coaching staff are looking for the type of attacking option that they currently lack, a move for Henrique could be smart due to his superior dribbling and chance-creating ability.

Marinakis looks set to only sanction one forward move given Awoniyi’s future remains at the City Ground, with both Wissa and Henrique offering vastly differing options for the Forest owner to consider.