Nottingham Forest are likely to go in search of new players this summer, with a new centre-back potentially on the shortlist.
Last season was a good one defensively for Forest. Nikola Milenkovic was a quality addition from Fiorentina for £12 million, and he complemented Murillo perfectly at the heart of the back four.
In reserve, Morato was capable when called upon and now, Willy Boly has been offered a new contract by Forest ahead of next season, when the UEFA Conference League will be on the agenda.
It appears that a new defender is still on the shortlist, however, and it would appear that a new link has emerged.
Nottingham Forest want Evan Ndicka
According to Caught Offside, Forest are one of several Premier League clubs in the mix to sign Ndicka this summer.
Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle are other clubs linked with a move for the Roma defender and his future looks to be open for discussion.
It will take £34 million to prise Ndicka away from his current club and during the 2024/25 campaign, he made 51 appearances for the club, featuring in the Europa League.
Ndicka would provide a different option to that of Milenkovic and Murillo and perhaps that’s one of the reasons Forest are targeting him this summer.
Evan Ndicka wins more headers than Murillo
It’s difficult to grasp what sort of defender Ndicka is, with Squawka confirming that he wins more headers than Murillo and completes more passes than Milenkovic.
Those two players are going to remain the team’s starting options at centre-back, and perhaps Ndicka is eyed with the intention of playing three centre-backs in some games.
Ndicka is only 25 and that does see him fitting the Forest recruitment profile quite nicely.
The fee of £34 million does feel a lot but taking everything into consideration, this probably would be a pretty useful signing for Forest to make.
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