Nottingham Forest make contact to sign “very powerful” £40m World Cup star

Nottingham Forest have been in contact to sign USMNT World Cup star Folarin Balogun, with AS Monaco now prepared to sanction a transfer.

With Lorenzo Lucca returning to Napoli following the end of his loan spell at the City Ground, Forest may need to sign a new striker this summer, and Balogun has emerged as a target following his performances at the USA’s home World Cup.

The 25-year-old was Mauricio Pochettino’s side’s top scorer, finding the net on three occasions in four matches, after catching the eye for Monaco at club level last season.

Teammate Eric Dier said: “[He] obviously has amazing characteristics to play in transition, very fast. He’s a very good finisher as well from what I’ve seen in training, he’s very powerful, he makes very good movements, and I think you saw that a bit today.”

Since arriving at Monaco ahead of the 2023-24 season, the American has picked up 31 goals in 91 matches, while also grabbing 13 assists. However, the former Arsenal man may be presented with the opportunity to return to the Premier League this summer.

Nottingham Forest make approach to sign Folarin Balogun

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Nottingham Forest have now made contact regarding a deal for Balogun, who is also of interest to Sunderland, Newcastle United, Everton, Leeds United and Fulham.

Interestingly, the French side are now prepared to offload the American £40m this summer, as he has just two years remaining on his contract, and talks about a new deal have not taken place.

That is despite the centre-forward putting in some stellar performances in the Champions League during the 2025-26 campaign, chipping in with five goals in ten appearances.

Why Folarin Balogun could be an upgrade on Lorenzo Lucca

Forest opted not to try and sign Lucca on a permanent basis, which was probably the correct decision, as the Italian failed to make the desired impact, scoring just one goal in nine matches across all competitions.

Balogun, on the other hand, found the net on 19 occasions for Monaco, before going on to prove he can handle the pressure of the World Cup, bagging a brace in the USMNT’s 4-1 opening game victory against Paraguay.

As such, the USMNT star could be a real upgrade on Lucca, who has now returned to Napoli, but striker is not the only position in which Forest need to strengthen, following Elliot Anderson’s departure to Manchester City.

The Tricky Trees have also been working hard to sign Lucas Bergvall as a replacement for the England midfielder, but it could take as much as £50m to tempt Tottenham Hotspur into a sale.