‘Communicated Their Decision’ – Nottingham Forest Decide On Star | OneFootball

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Nottingham Forest have ‘communicated their decision’ not to sign Lorenzo Lucca permanently to Napoli, with the striker facing a return to his homeland at the end of the season.

The Italian joined the Tricky Trees during the January transfer window on loan after an underwhelming spell in Naples, with hopes of recapturing the level he previously displayed at Udinese.

Just after his arrival at the City Ground, Udinese technical director Gianluca Nani predicted that Lucca would eventually find a way to establish himself, but his move to England has instead pushed the striker further away from relevance.

The 25-year-old failed to force his way into Vitor Pereira’s attacking plans and quickly slipped down the pecking order, managing just one Premier League start and nine appearances overall across all competitions.

Lucca also spent lengthy stretches outside the matchday squad and went close to two months without making an appearance before returning to the pitch against Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-final this month.

The situation eventually forced the Naples outfit into reducing the original €35m purchase clause to €20m, though even that failed to significantly alter Nottingham Forest’s stance regarding the striker.

According to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato Web, the Tricky Trees have now ‘communicated their decision’ to Napoli that they will not proceed with a permanent deal once Lucca’s current loan term expires.

A return to Italy is now on the cards and his agents will look for another move, while Fiorentina sporting director Fabio Paratici ‘appreciates’ the forward’s quality.

If Napoli can offload the Italian, they could focus on their pursuit of former Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis, who is on their shortlist.

Nottingham Forest will likely be in the market for more attacking additions in the summer and they are keen on Juventus’ Jonathan David.