Nottingham Forest have received the green light to sign AC Milan midfielder Youssouf Fofana, and they are moving closer towards securing his signature.
A deal for Fofana is unlikely to break the bank, with Milan prepared to sanction a transfer for just £13m this summer, even though he has been lauded for having “tremendous quality” by former France manager Didier Deschamps, who reached the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals.
The 27-year-old has 25 caps to his name for France, during which time he’s scored three goals, and he is vastly experienced in Ligue 1, picking up nine goals and 16 assists in 173 appearances in the competition across spells with AS Monaco and RSC Strasbourg.
It was in his home country of France where the midfielder particularly caught the eye, with scout Jacek Kulig suggesting he has the quality to succeed at a top Premier League club.
However, the former Monaco man wasn’t one of Milan’s most important players in the Serie A last season, featuring for 2,217 minutes, which was just the ninth-highest number in the squad, raising doubts about whether he is at the required level to replace Elliot Anderson.
Oliver Glasner wants to sign Youssouf Fofana
According to a report from Football Insider, Nottingham Forest are now moving closer towards signing Fofana, as new AC Milan boss Ruben Amorim is willing to sanction a departure.
Football Insider’s transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke explained: “This is an opportunity that has arrived for Forest here to get Fofana, because it does appear that Milan are open to letting the French midfielder leave, and I don’t think it’d be a huge transfer fee for him either.
“The new Milan boss, Ruben Amorim, has given his list of players who are basically surplus to requirements at the San Siro, and surprisingly, Fofana is one of them.”
Interestingly, Glasner is personally keen on signing the 25-cap France international, as he looks to further reinforce his midfield following Anderson’s move to Manchester City last month.
However, Fofana is far from the only option on the shortlist for Forest, who could be set for a busy end to the summer transfer window.
Nottingham Forest have already secured the signature of Xaver Schlager, with the midfielder joining from RB Leipzig on a free transfer.
At 28-years-old, Schlagr is experienced, collecting 55 caps for the Austria national side, while also picking up seven goals and 14 assists in 150 Bundesliga matches during spells with Leipzig and Wolfsburg.
