Nottingham Forest make official bid for Man City’s Rico Lewis | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest have made an official bid to sign Manchester City defender Rico Lewis.

The 20-year-old is being targeted as part of Forest’s push to recruit young English talent this summer.

Forest have already agreed a £30 million deal for City midfielder James McAtee, with the two moves initially explored as a joint package.

However, Lewis is now expected to be pursued in a separate transfer.

City value the England international at more than £30 million and will only sanction a move if their terms are met.

Forest are prepared to double Lewis’s salary in a bid to persuade him to leave the Etihad Stadium.

The club is also offering the prospect of regular first-team football, which has been harder to secure under Pep Guardiola.

Lewis made 44 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring twice and providing four assists.

He is approaching 100 senior games for City but has fallen behind Matheus Nunes in Guardiola’s preferred options at right-back.

City had hoped to tie Lewis to a new contract this summer and made negotiations a priority.

Talks have not resulted in an agreement, and the club is now open to a sale if a suitable bid arrives.

City are expected to insert sell-on and buyback clauses into any deal, as they have done with McAtee.

Such clauses have become a standard part of City’s transfer policy, following the success of former academy graduate Cole Palmer at Chelsea.

Lewis’s departure would reduce City’s number of homegrown players to five.

The club is managing its homegrown quota carefully, with 18-year-old midfielder Sverre Nypan set for a loan to Middlesbrough to meet eligibility criteria in the future.

Forest view Lewis as a versatile option, capable of playing in defence or midfield.

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo wants him to be a key part of a squad rebuild aimed at avoiding another relegation battle.

Negotiations are ongoing between the two clubs and with Lewis’s representatives.

Both sides are aiming to reach an agreement before the transfer window closes in two weeks’ time.