Nottingham Forest ‘working on a deal’ for Mathias Olivera, outcome may hinge on survival | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest are in talks with Napoli over left-back Mathias Olivera and are ‘working on a deal’ for the summer, Sport Witness reports.

The 28-year-old was pursued in January, with Forest making detailed enquiries and the player open to a move. Antonio Conte was unwilling to allow an exit without a replacement, so Olivera stayed and Forest signed Luca Netz instead.

Any progress may depend on the outcome of Forest’s relegation fight. They won 5-0 at Sunderland on Friday to move eight points clear of 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur, before the gap returned to five when Spurs beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Capable of operating at centre-back, Olivera is under contract until 2030 and is unlikely to make a decision on his future until after this summer’s World Cup.

Full-back remains a thin area for Vitor Pereira. Neco Williams and Ola Aina have the starting roles on the left and right respectively, with little cover. Netz has impressed in patches but has had limited minutes and was omitted from the Europa League squad, while Nicolo Savona is out for the season after knee surgery last month.

Source: Nottingham Post