Nottingham Forest on Alert as Manchester City Eyes Midfield Reinforcements
Nottingham Forest will be keeping a close eye on Manchester City’s transfer moves as the Premier League window opens, with the champions stepping up efforts to land AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.
City are reportedly deep in negotiations over a £55 million deal for the 26-year-old Dutch international, who has been a mainstay at Milan since arriving from AZ Alkmaar two years ago. The Daily Mail also reports that Pep Guardiola is interested in Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, who is valued at around £80 million.
Such major investment in midfield targets would likely quieten talk of a possible swoop for Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been loosely linked with a move to the Etihad as a potential successor to Kevin De Bruyne.
However, Manchester City’s pursuit of new midfielders could open the door for 22-year-old James McAtee to move on, with Forest reportedly among the clubs keen to secure his signature this summer. The Mail notes that Forest could face stiff competition from AC Milan, who would be seeking a replacement for Reijnders, as well as from Bundesliga sides Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, and Eintracht Frankfurt. West Ham and Everton are also said to be monitoring McAtee, who featured 27 times for City last season and previously had loan spells at Sheffield United.
Speaking about Gibbs-White and ongoing transfer speculation, Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo said:
“Regarding Morgan, I see him happy and I see him working hard.
Morgan is one of the players that, because we know each other so well and for so long, we don’t have to speak. But I see him well. Just leave Morgan to do his job and enjoy his football. When he does it, it is amazing.”
