Nottingham Forest can immediately forget about Samuel Mbangula by returning to an ‘elusive’ January target

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Nottingham Forest are clearly looking into signing wingers this summer and will have to move on quickly to find an alternative to Samuel Mbangula.

Forest have backed out of negotiations with Mbangula, leaving the Reds without an obvious target out wide in an area that Nuno Espírito Santo would like to improve.

Not just one winger, though, Espírito Santo is targeting two wide players to give Forest sufficient depth for the upcoming UEFA Conference League campaign.

Especially with Ramon Sosa departing for Palmeiras, Forest need to move on from Mbangula quickly to refocus on a winger who was extensively linked in January.

Nottingham Forest should return for Baris Alper Yilmaz

Baris Yilmaz wants to leave Galatasaray, which must’ve alerted the Reds’ recruitment team, given how extensively Forest have scouted the Turkish star.

In fact, Forest have previously bid for Yilmaz, so a return for him this summer makes complete sense and, according to Calciomercato, he has been offered to Evangelos Marinakis.

The report said: “Yilmaz wants to take advantage of the summer session to make the leap in quality and land in one of the top leagues in Europe. Some intermediaries are offering him to various clubs, including Inter in Serie A. 

“It is not an easy deal for two reasons: both because Galatasaray values ​​his price tag at 35 million euros, and because there is competition from English clubs, including Nottingham Forest and West Ham, but also German clubs, including Leipzig.”

Forest’s scouts should know all there is to know about Yilmaz at this point so he’d be the natural player to target next after a 14-goal season for Galatasaray.

His reputation goes beyond Turkish football, though, with one of the Premier League’s best defenders well aware of the damage he can do.

Baris Yilmaz once gave Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk a brutal game

Like many players before, Yilmaz announced himself to the world in an international tournament, with the 2024 European Championship his stage.

A youthful Turkish side impressed with their attacking flair before eventually being knocked out at the quarter-final stage by the Netherlands, but not before Yilmaz gave Virgil van Dijk a torrid time.

Speaking after the match, van Dijk said:  “Baris Alper Yilmaz was running constantly. He was running elusive. It was difficult for every defender.

“He made it very hard for us. He couldn’t score a goal, though. If we were to describe him in any way, he is a really important player.”

Forest fans were worried about the transfer window after the Mbangula news, but their mood would certainly be improved if Yilmaz was brought to the City Ground.