Steve Cooper to offload Nottingham Forest flop in last-minute move as double exit takes shape | OneFootball

Exit-bound Nottingham Forest striker Emmanuel Dennis

Nottingham Forest striker Emmanuel Dennis is set to join Istanbul Basaksehir on deadline day for the Turkish Super Lig, according to reports.

The 25-year-old signed for the Tricky Trees last summer after making a switch from Watford for a reported fee of £20m.

Dennis struggled to make any real impact at the City Ground. He made 19 Premier League appearances last season, scoring only two goals and making two assists.

As a result, Steve Cooper is willing to sanction the exit of the Nigeria international. As previously reported by Football365, Nottingham Forest ‘offered’ Dennis to Leeds United but a move failed to materialise.

Several Turkish clubs have shown an interest in Dennis, though, and it now seems that Istanbul Basaksehir are set to come out on top in the race for his signature. It will be a loan rather than a permanent transfer, however.

The move has been confirmed by reputed transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.

“Emmanuel Dennis will travel today to Istanbul in order to complete his move to Istanbul Basaksehir,” Romano wrote on Twitter.

“Nottingham Forest have approved a loan deal with salary covered. NO buy option. Medical booked, here we go confirmed.”

By sealing a loan to Turkey, he will be following in the footsteps of Jonjo Shelvey who has joined Caykur Rizespor.

Shelvey’s season-long loan to the Turkish club was confirmed in an official statement on the Nottingham Forest website on Thursday.

The Basaksehir squad Dennis will be joining includes former AC Milan striker Krzysztof Piatek and English defender Jerome Opoku, a product of the Fulham academy.

Basaksehir finished fifth in the Super Lig last season but have lost all three of their league games so far this term and are yet to score a goal in any of them, which is why they have felt the need to add another striker.

Dennis netted 10 goals in 30 Premier League appearances for Watford in the 2021/22 season, so he will hope that he can rediscover his goal scoring form in Turkey this season.