Nottingham Forest ‘Mulling’ Fresh Bid For Target | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest are considering putting in a second bid for Brighton midfielder Yasin Ayari after seeing a £20m proposal rejected by the Seagulls, according to journalist Tom Collomosse.

The Tricky Trees have stabilised their campaign under Sean Dyche, after dismissing Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou in short order, but still face a battle in the coming months.

Dyche has lifted the team out of the relegation zone, with Forest ahead of West Ham United by five points.

Their improvement in league position though has been as minimal, with Nottingham Forest now 17th in the division as compared to 18th before Dyche was appointed.

Though avoiding relegation might seem an underwhelming target after finishing seventh and narrowly missing out on qualification for the Champions League last season, Nottingham Forest have a real relegation risk remaining.

With the sides around them, namely Leeds United and West Ham United, displaying green shoots of form, Forest cannot rely on others dropping points to ensure their own survival.

The Tricky Trees have subsequently turned to the transfer market in a desperate attempt to ensure that they can have a strong second half to their campaign.

They have been linked with Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, but face competition from Serie A giants Juventus.

Palace have already prepared for the eventuality of Mateta leaving by agreeing a deal to bring in Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves.

Nottingham Forest are also targeting a replacement for goalkeeper John Victor, who will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury, with Wolves‘ Jose Sa high up the list.

It has now emerged that Nottingham Forest have bid £20m for Brighton midfielder Ayari, with the bid being shot down by the Seagulls.

The Tricky Trees are also said to be ‘mulling’ a second bid for Ayari, with the window closing soon.

Brighton have already turned down a separate Forest approach for Lewis Dunk, with the defender being a first-choice centre-back under Fabian Hurzeler.

Ayari is rated and in 2024, Tottenham Hotspur star Dejan Kulusevski insisted that he had a prominent place in a strong core of players for Swedish the national side.

The midfielder quickly claimed that he was enjoying his time under Hurzeler, though the training under the manager was intense.

It remains to be seen if Brighton consider Ayari, like Dunk, to be too vital to their cause to consider a sale.

Nottingham Forest will want to give Dyche more options, with avoiding relegation being of paramount importance, but the Tricky Trees will also surely take into account a possibility of qualifying for the Champions League via the Europa League like Spurs last season.