Report: Nottingham Forest have £30m bid rejected for Liverpool star | OneFootball

Liverpool Reject Nottingham Forest Bid for Trey Nyoni as Iraola Plans Bigger Role

Liverpool have made their position crystal clear. According to The Athletic, Nottingham Forest saw a £30m bid for Trey Nyoni knocked back, with the offer made up of “£25m guaranteed, plus a further £5m in add-ons”. There was no ambiguity from Anfield, Liverpool “made it clear that they are not prepared to sanction his departure ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline”.

That matters, because this was not a speculative approach for a fringe player. Forest moved for a 19-year-old midfielder who is now firmly in Andoni Iraola’s plans. Nyoni has impressed through pre-season and, more importantly, appears to have convinced the new Liverpool head coach that he is ready for serious first-team involvement.

The timing is telling. When Liverpool sold Curtis Jones to Inter in a £30m deal earlier this month, they chose not to replace him. That decision now looks directly tied to Nyoni. The view inside the club is simple, he is ready. He has already made 21 appearances since joining from Leicester City’s academy three years ago, and he “caught the eye after coming off the bench against Forest in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Anfield”.

Photo: IMAGO

Trey Nyoni Emerging in Liverpool Midfield

Liverpool’s stance is not based on sentiment. It is based on planning. Nyoni signed a new long-term contract last summer, and “talks over another extension are expected to follow given his exciting development over the past 12 months”. Clubs do not behave like that unless they believe a player has genuine value on the pitch, not merely on the balance sheet.

Iraola has already been explicit. “I’m very happy with Trey.” He added, “He has been very good in pre-season, not only in the games, even when he trains with us he’s facing top-level players and he’s at the level. I have no doubts with Trey. He will be very valuable this season for us, hopefully plays a lot and gives the level that I’m seeing every day in training.”

Nottingham Forest Transfer Interest Meets Firm Resistance

From a Forest perspective, the bid makes sense. Nyoni is young, English, technically polished and clearly rising. Players like that rarely become available once they establish themselves. The surprise is not that Forest bid, it is that they thought this number would shift Liverpool’s thinking so late in the window.

If Liverpool truly see Nyoni as part of the post-Curtis Jones midfield structure, then £30m was never going to be enough. Forest tested the water. Liverpool slammed the door.

Our View

As a surprised Nottingham Forest supporter, this feels like one of those stories where you sit back and think, hang on, Forest were seriously willing to go to £30m for Trey Nyoni? That is a major number for a 19-year-old with talent and promise, but still only 21 senior appearances. It tells you Forest’s recruitment team clearly see something special.

At the same time, there is an obvious frustration here. If Liverpool sold Curtis Jones for £30m and immediately decided Nyoni was the in-house answer, then why would they accept basically the same fee for the younger player with bigger upside? From Forest’s side, it was ambitious. From Liverpool’s side, rejection was inevitable.

Supporters will probably be split. Some will love the aggression, the fact Forest are targeting high-ceiling young players from top clubs. Others will say this money could go on a more proven midfielder who improves the team immediately. Both arguments are fair.

The biggest takeaway is that Forest are shopping in a different market now. This was not a low-risk punt. It was a serious swing. Even if nothing came of it, the move says a lot about the club’s ambition. The surprise is real, but so is the intent. Forest clearly believed Nyoni was worth the push, and that alone makes this worth paying attention to.

Source: The Athletic