Nottingham Forest’s summer clearout is still ongoing with five days left of the transfer window, with a Spanish side now pushing to add a Reds star to their arsenal.
After a week of incomings, it seems as if departures are the talk of this week at the City Ground, with Morato linked with a move to Bologna as teams scramble to finalise their squads.
A potentially high-profile exit could well be Ibrahim Sangare after West Ham launched a loan move for the 27-year-old midfielder, but Forest will only entertain permanent offers for Sangare given his value as an asset.
Away from Nuno Espírito Santo’s first team, though, one fringe member of the Reds’ squad is being eyed up by a side over in Spain.
Real Oviedo target a move for David Carmo
Given the lack of transfer activity in the early stages of the summer, pre-season saw plenty of players on the outskirts of the Forest squad given opportunities to impress.
One of these was defender David Carmo, who seemingly didn’t catch the eye as Espírito Santo cleared Carmo to leave Forest ahead of the Premier League campaign.
Now, according to Spanish newspaper El Comercio, newly promoted La Liga side Real Oviedo are looking to capitalise on his availability.
The report said: “Real Oviedo have already decided on their target to strengthen the centre of defence. David Carmo, a 1.96-meter Angolan left-footed centre-back, currently plays for Nottingham Forest and played on loan at Greek club Olympiacos last season.
“[…] The deal just needs to be completed so that all the numbers allow him to fit within the salary cap reserved for that position. In principle, he would arrive on loan, including a buyout option at the end of the season.”
Having never made a competitive appearance for the Reds, it may be disappointing for some to see Carmo go so soon, but parting ways with the Angola international shows that the Reds are managing Nuno’s squad correctly this summer.
Nottingham Forest are prioritising youthful competition
Should Oviedo successfully agree a deal for Carmo, he won’t exactly be the biggest miss on Trentside, with Espírito Santo blessed with strong options in defence, including:
- Murillo
- Nikola Milenkovic
- Morato
- Willy Boly
- Jair Cunha
- Zach Abbott
Even if Morato were to follow Carmo out the door, it would only create more opportunities for the likes of Cunha and Abbott, something the Forest coaching staff will be happy to accommodate.
Forest have big plans for Abbott and Cunha’s potential was on full display this summer at the Club World Cup with Botafogo, so giving the pair minutes in the inevitable Europa League rotation will be more beneficial than having Carmo in their place.
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