Evangelos Marinakis will have Nottingham Forest fans concerned after £1.5m transfer development

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Nottingham Forest aren’t having the most successful transfer window, and the latest issue Evangelos Marinakis has encountered may worry Reds fans.

After Anthony Elanga’s move to Newcastle United was confirmed, there was every expectation that Forest would kick on with their major transfer work, but there has been little success thus far.

Johan Bakayoko signed for RB Leipzig after looking like he’d be Elanga’s replacement, while talks remain ongoing to sign Bologna’s Dan Ndoye, but the rival interest from Napoli is complicating matters.

The struggles aren’t exclusive to the search for a winger, though, as one of Forest’s top defensive targets looks set to miss out on a move to the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest suffer blow in Pablo Maffeo talks

It looked as if the Reds were set to make swift moves to sign a backup for Ola Aina as Spanish full-back Pablo Maffeo agreed to join Forest, for what looked to be a very reasonable fee.

Mallorca wanted £8m for Maffeo which should’ve been no issue for Marinakis, but according to MARCA, talks between the two clubs are set to break down despite the deal being so close.

The report said: “Pablo Maffeo will not be leaving for Nottingham Forest. The English club has broken off negotiations with Real Mallorca after Pablo Ortells (Director of Football) decided not to lower his initial demands of a minimum of eight million euros.

“The Reds’ last offer was five million plus variables that could have taken the deal to around 6.5 million, but the Balearic club has been firm throughout and has not gone below eight million.”

Of course, sticking to your valuation of a player is the smart thing to do, but for the sake of £1.5m, it seems bizarre that Forest aren’t forking out the extra to secure a target in a key area.

However, there may be more to the story, as reports have linked Forest with a move for another right-back in La Liga who would arrive with a more impressive CV.

Nottingham Forest are moving to sign Pablo Maffeo alternative

Perhaps Marinakis and Forest knew they’d never agree a deal to sign Maffeo because the club have already made significant moves to sign another right-back.

Reports in Spain have said that Forest have made a bid for Nahuel Molina, who has been a regular for Atletico Madrid since joining the Spanish giants in 2022.

A fairly productive defender going forward, Molina lifted the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, starting in the final to bring some remarkable pedigree to the Forest squad.

No fee has yet been mentioned, but if Forest can secure the 27-year-old, it would make the collapse of the Maffeo deal more understandable.