Today’s transfer market rarely affords the opportunity to find a bargain, but Nottingham Forest may have been offered just that as deadline day approaches.
Forest have prepared a club-record bid for Matheus Cunha in an attempt to bolster Nuno Espirito Santo’s attacking options before Monday, but a sizeable price tag always brings the potential for disappointment.
Luckily for Forest, their current transfer record was broken when Elliot Anderson signed for Forest from Newcastle United in the summer, a deal that has been an unwavering success.
He’s been such a success that Liverpool have been scouting Anderson for a future deal, which is no surprise given Forest fans think Anderson deserves an England call-up.
However, Wolves’ £70m asking price for Cunha would dramatically eclipse the Anderson signing, bringing unique financial risks to the deal if the Brazilian didn’t hit the ground running.
If Evangelos Marinakis is looking to be risk averse, then, one potential target could be more appealing given recent reports detailing his very affordable valuation.
Nottingham Forest could sign cut-price Marcus Edwards
Forest’s interest in Marcus Edwards has been bubbling underneath the headline Cunha news throughout the January window, but a new report into just how much Sporting are demanding for the Englishman could see the deal brought to the forefront.
According to A Bola in Portugal, Sporting are asking for just £12.5 million for the winger, a deal that would be nearly six times cheaper to complete for Forest than one for Cunha.
Whilst the report did state that Turkish giants, Besiktas, were looking at a potential move for Edwards, his disappointing experience in English football with his boyhood club, Tottenham, could see Edwards preferring a move back to his home nation.
Sunderland and Burnley also want Edwards and could be willing to fork out the £12.5 million to capture him and propel their Championship promotion push, but Forest’s remarkable Premier League season should be enough to persuade him that a move to the City Ground is best.
The bargain fee alone should be enough to convince Marinakis to pull the trigger on Edwards, but if not, he can look back at some of his previous bargain deals for inspiration.
Marcus Edwards could join a host of Nottingham Forest bargains
If the Forest owner needs some convincing about the potential value of a cut-price signing like Edwards, he should look no further than his current central defensive pair.
Murillo recently signed a new Forest contract after his incredible defensive displays this season, made all the more remarkable given Forest spent just £15 million on Murillo in 2023.
Forest would demand £80 million to sell Murillo after signing the new contract, a fee made even more valuable to Marinakis thanks to the potential profit available.
Next to the Brazilian on the pitch is summer signing Nikola Milenkovic, who has been an equally impressive addition to the Forest squad.
Forest paid just £13 million for Milenkovic from Fiorentina and he has already proved himself more than capable of dominating a Premier League game from the back, with pundits comparing Milenkovic and Murillo to Arsenal’s defence.
Clearly, Cunha would be an incredibly exciting addition for the Forest fans and Espirito Santo, but the potential value in signing Edwards could tip the scale in his favour ahead of Monday’s deadline.
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