Dan Ndoye is clearly Nottingham Forest’s top target to replace Anthony Elanga, with Fabrizio Romano now revealing what the club’s next steps are in the transfer.
Forest made their opening offer for Ndoye worth a reported £27m, which was rejected by Bologna in a decision that has prompted something of an auction for his signature.
Italian champions Napoli have also made a bid for Ndoye which was structured as an initial loan with an obligation to buy, but again, the numbers weren’t right for Bologna.
While Antonio Conte’s side are expected to bid again, Napoli won’t reach Bologna’s £40m valuation, putting the power back in Forest’s hands on what looks set to be a crucial week of negotiations.
Nottingham Forest’s next steps in Dan Ndoye chase
In a bizarre turn of events, Bologna brought an Italian pop star in to sing for Ndoye to try and convince him to stay at the club, a remarkable tactic that surely won’t impact his decision.
What will impact his decision is if either Forest or Napoli can find a breakthrough in negotiations with Bologna, something that the Reds will attempt once more in the coming days.
According to Romano, Forest are set to submit another bid for Ndoye next week, one that will hopefully force Bologna into either accepting or at least be close enough to work out a way to satisfy all parties.
As Romano says, Ndoye has already said yes to the move so there’s no reason to give up the pursuit just yet, with the upcoming bid ideally enough to put Evangelos Marinakis clear of what Napoli can afford to offer.
Such a lengthy pursuit must mean that Edu and the recruitment staff are confident that Ndoye is the right man to replace Elanga and when comparing the two, it’s clear to see why.
Dan Ndoye has advantages over Anthony Elanga
Clearly, Elanga was always going to be a difficult player for Forest to adequately replace, given that he provided 18 goal contributions for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side and was a constant threat with his pace.
Ndoye is also notably fast so he’ll be able to replace Elanga in that department, while also providing the Forest manager with other attributes that the Swede couldn’t match.
| Statistic | Anthony Elanga | Dan Ndoye |
| Progressive carries per 90 | 3.67 | 5.55 |
| Progressive passes per 90 | 2.27 | 3.11 |
| Pass completion % | 65.3% | 73.7% |
| Shots per 90 | 1.58 | 2.10 |
Despite Elanga’s speed advantage, Ndoye is actually more effective when it comes to progressing the ball, completing more progressive carries and passes than Elanga last season.
He’s also more secure in possession, with a higher pass completion, which could be useful if Forest are to transition away from the counter-attacking system.
It remains to be seen how Bologna will react to the upcoming bid, but all signs are that Ndoye would be a brilliant addition out wide for the Reds.
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