Midfielder looks set to reject Nottingham Forest after buying a new house elsewhere

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Nottingham Forest are already accelerating transfer plans for the summer, but one deal looks set to be halted by a player’s living arrangements.

Forest will move for a striker in the summer as a top priority, but other positions in the Forest squad could also be strengthened to give Nuno Espirito Santo the best shot of competing on the continental stage.

Rumours have already begun to link the Reds with top stars as Douglas Luiz remains of interest to Forest, but it seems that strengthening further up the pitch will come first before other positions are addressed.

It’s been said that Matheus Cunha is Forest’s ‘dream’ summer signing after January’s saga involving the Brazilian, but another target that has been of interest since the summer looks to be slipping away.

Alexis Saelemaekers prefers Rome stay over Nottingham Forest

As long back as July 2024, Forest have been interested in Alexis Saelemaekers and looked to battle Steve Cooper at Leicester City for his signature in the summer window.

However, the AC Milan player stayed in Italy with a loan move to AS Roma instead, a deal that looks to have gone well enough for the Belgian to want to extend it further, despite Forest’s renewed interest in Saelemaekers ahead of the summer.

According to Corriere dello Sport: “The priority for Alexis […], is to stay at Roma. A club where he felt important right from the start and where, so far, he has made 26 appearances with 6 goals and 5 assists.

This year’s continuity, never seen before in his career, has allowed him to regain the Belgian national team and that is why his agent has already met with [Florent] Ghisolfi in recent weeks.”

To further his interest in staying in Rome, the report said: “Saelemaekers is happy in Rome, it is whispered that, like in Bologna, he bought a house, partly as an investment and partly because he would like to stay.”

It’s hard to begrudge someone wanting to live in Rome, but Evangelos Marinakis will now need to rethink his plans for a wide midfielder, which is looking like an area of priority given the future of Ramon Sosa.

Nottingham Forest will need wide reinforcements next season

It has been reported recently that Sosa has fallen out with Espirito Santo over his lack of game time at the City Ground, an understandable frustration but one that could leave Forest light in the wide areas.

Given the Forest manager’s preference for fast, counterattacking football, the width provided by Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga has been crucial, meaning their backups must be up to scratch.

Roy Keane has been critical of Silva for starters and with Sosa’s future looking set to be away from the club, a deal for somebody in the ilk of Saelemaekers will need to be considered.

In January, Forest looked at Baris Yilmaz as more of a goalscoring winger and it wouldn’t be surprising to see that option revisited as the Reds prepare for European football with gaps to fill out wide.