Nottingham Forest look set to be linked with Douglas Luiz until the transfer window shuts, with interest in fellow Serie A midfielder Yunus Musah also rumbling in the background.
Forest are set to complete a triple signing that will greatly please manager Nuno Espírito Santo, who will be looking forward to working with talented trio James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson and Arnaud Kalimuendo.
However, the one signing that seems to be eluding the Reds is that of Luiz, who has been of interest since January after enduring a brutal season at Juventus.
As the Luiz deal stalled, reports suggested that Forest made a bid for AC Milan’s Musah. Now, though, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has told Nottingham Forest News what is really happening in the Reds’ midfield pursuit.
Latest on Nottingham Forest’s pursuit of Douglas Luiz
Even with the bid for Musah, it never felt as if Forest were willing to give up on their original target, but Juventus needed to find a replacement before losing Luiz which slowed down proceedings.
However, according to Bailey, Forest are still actively pursuing the Brazilian, casting doubt over their interest in Musah.
He said: “Edu wants Douglas Luiz, that is clear. He has tried for him before and Forest are pushing, but there are others who want him. They are working on it.
“Others are on their list such as Yunus Musah but in terms of that being advanced, that has been played down to me. That is not active as it stands.”
Clearly, Luiz remains Forest’s top target for the role, which makes sense given Edu’s long-term admiration for the Brazilian.
Edu has tried and failed to sign Douglas Luiz in the past
Luiz decided to stay at Juventus in January in a decision that clearly didn’t work out for the Brazilian, but with Edu now officially part of the Forest set-up, he won’t want to see Luiz slip away from him once more.
Back in 2022 when he was Arsenal’s Sporting Director, Edu pushed hard for the Gunners to bring Luiz in from Aston Villa, with a late £25m move on deadline day.
In fact, Arsenal made three bids for Luiz that summer that were all rejected, so Forest’s new Head of Global Football will be desperate to finally secure him three years later.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
