Alex Moreno replacement as Nottingham Forest to move for Champions League star who cost just £3k

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With Alex Moreno’s loan deal set to expire at the end of the season, Nottingham Forest are acting fast to target a replacement left-back.

Moreno is wanted by Real Betis in a move that seems to make a lot of sense for the Spanish left-back, given that his time in the Premier League hasn’t quite gone to plan.

Having failed to tie down a starting spot at Aston Villa, Forest swooped to bring Moreno in on loan for the season. However, despite being the most natural option for the position in the Forest squad on paper, Moreno has played second fiddle to Neco Williams, who has adapted to the role.

Moreno has shown loyalty to Forest over Villa in his time at the City Ground, but Nuno Espirito Santo clearly rates Williams higher in the position, making it understandable should the Spaniard look to seek a move back to La Liga.

That move has been made even more logical by Forest’s latest transfer link, leaving Moreno’s chances of a permanent switch to the Reds seem highly unlikely.

Nottingham Forest eye Hugo Bueno as Alex Moreno’s left-back replacement

The January transfer window sparked the rumour that Forest were eying a move for Pervis Estupinan, which, whilst never developing into anything, perhaps gave an early indication that Evangelos Marinakis is seeking alternatives to Moreno.

According to TEAMtalk, this search for an alternative is to continue, as Forest have picked out Hugo Bueno as their preferred left-back option.

The report said: “Forest have also been keeping tabs on the youngster [Bueno] and have been hugely impressed with his performances for Feyenoord.

“The Tricky Trees are also considering making a bid for Bueno, who is under contract at Wolves until the summer of 2028.”

Forest are not the only interested party, though, as the report continued to suggest that Championship promotion hopefuls, Leeds United, will target Bueno should their return to the Premier League be secured.

On loan from Wolves, Bueno has been impressive for Feyenoord in all competitions, including providing a wonderful assist as the Dutch side recorded a famous aggregate victory over AC Milan.

However, Wolves may be interested in retaining the services of Buneo in response to this form, especially given the incredibly cheap price they paid for him.

Wolves paid just £3k for Champions League ace Hugo Bueno

The Forest and Wolves recruitment teams should be familiar with each other from Forest’s attempts to sign Matheus Cunha in January.

There’s no guarantee that Wolves will be looking to negotiate a deal for Bueno, though, with his remarkable original price tag making him a bargain gem to integrate back into the side.

According to the Express and Star: “The defender was signed in 2019 from small Spanish side CD Areosa for just £3,000 and within just three years the 20-year-old rose from the under-18s to the first team.”

Upon making his Wolves debut in 2023, Bueno said: “To be honest, I really enjoyed it from the first minute, from the very start. I wasn’t really playing at the beginning and didn’t know if I was going to be part of the team like I have, but after the change of manager with Steve and James, who knew me before, I knew I could have a chance.”

The Forest coaching staff clearly like what they see from the 22-year-old, but so do the Wolves team most likely, which may make any deal tough, as Wolves could be set to make a remarkable profit on Bueno.