After a string of sales, Nottingham Forest are set to ramp up their transfer business with a £26m bid ready for one of the January transfer window’s top targets.
Forest were already expected to show ambition in the transfer market, but Anthony Elanga’s £55m move to Newcastle United has given them more freedom to spend.
As well as Elanga, Ramon Sosa was sold to Palmeiras for £11m after a disappointing year at the City Ground.
Danilo was also sold to Botafogo as Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad is trimmed down, allowing the funds to be made available to launch a serious move for an attacking target who has long been admired by the recruitment team.
Nottingham Forest preparing bid for Baris Yilmaz
With Elanga out the door, Nottingham Forest News revealed that Forest had a four-man right-wing shortlist to replace the Swede, with Turkish speedster Baris Yilmaz amongst the options.
Yilmaz wants to leave Galatasaray this summer after flirting with a move to Forest throughout January, but it seems like now is the time that the Reds are going to push ahead with a deal.
Turkish journalist Yakup Cinar (via Haber Sari Kirmizi) said: “I recently spoke with his agent, Tuncay Maldan. Nottingham Forest is preparing to make a €25-30 million offer to Galatasaray for Barış Alper Yılmaz.”
A £26m bid would still leave nearly £30m of the Elanga fee left for Forest to play with as a number of squad players are required, too. Yilmaz wouldn’t just be a cheap addition, though, as he has developed into a Premier League-ready player while playing for the Turkish giants.
Baris Yilmaz would bring extra energy to Nottingham Forest
Title wins and runs in UEFA competitions have left Yilmaz with an impressive resume to take with him if he departs Turkish football. Delving deeper into his individual stats, though, it’s clear to see what has kept Forest interested in him.
| Statistic | Baris Yilmaz 24/25 |
| Appearances | 48 |
| Goals | 14 |
| Assists | 5 |
| Progressive carries per 90 | 5.09 |
| Crosses per 90 | 6.36 |
| Tackles won per 90 | 1.39 |
It’s unlikely that Forest are going to find someone with the blistering pace of Elanga, but Yilmaz makes up for it by being incredibly active in multiple areas of the game that will benefit Espírito Santo.
He is adept at driving forward with the ball and progressing the play, while he also likes to make quick decisions, crossing the ball into the box 6.36 times per game, which will benefit Chris Wood and Igor Jesus.
He also gets stuck in defensively, winning 1.39 tackles per game, which will be useful when Forest are set up deep to counter the opposition.
It remains to be seen how Galatasaray will react to the bid, but Forest’s long-term Turkish target looks to be firmly in the race to replace Elanga.
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