17 January 2024 , 16:55
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Nottingham Forest have rejected loan bids for midfielder Orel Mangala - despite their desire to impress the Premier League by prioritising sales this month.
Forest are determined to prove they're taking Financial Fair Play regulations seriously after they were charged with breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) earlier this week. While Nuno Espirito Santo has lost six key players to the Africa Cup of Nations, Evangelos Marinakis has been forced to ditch the club's scattergun approach to transfer business and reinforcements are only likely to arrive this winter once departures have been sanctioned.
There is also recognition internally that Forest need to trim down their inflated squad as players are currently earning substantial salaries despite a lack of playing time. Furthermore, Nuno prefers to operate with a tight-knit squad to maximise performance levels - just as he did at Wolves.
Belgium international Mangala, who has played just three minutes of action in Forest's past two Premier League matches and cost just over £11million when he arrived from Stuttgart in July 2022, is one of the players that could be pushed towards the exit door in the coming weeks.
Turkish giants Galatasaray have already seen a loan plus purchase option offer rejected this window. French side Rennes have also recently made a similar proposal that included an obligation to buy but they're yet to reach an agreement with Forest.
Rennes are looking to source a replacement for former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic, who is desperate to force his way out of the Ligue 1 club where he has failed to settle. Napoli have also held formal talks for 25-year-old Mangala while Juventus made enquiries before later deciding they won't be financing any new arrivals this month.
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Feyenoord are also showing interest in right-back Neco Williams. Divock Origi is also poised to return to AC Milan following his underwhelming loan spell before moving to the MLS on a permanent transfer. Multiple clubs are in discussions over a deal.
Forest will consider bids for both Joe Worrall and Scott McKenna after they were frozen out by previous boss Steve Cooper. McKenna has attracted interest from Rangers but they're yet to make any formal approach to sign the 27-year-old.
Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares could also see his future reassessed as he is yet to make an impact since joining the Tricky Trees last summer. USMNT goalkeeper Ethan Horvath is also on the shortlist of Championship side Hull City.
Nuno Espirito Santo has had a positive impact at the City Ground but they're facing a difficult transfer window (Getty Images)
Nuno said on transfer business earlier this week: “There are specific positions that we need, [but] at the same time we need to rebalance the squad in terms of numbers. So ins and outs, we need to be careful and cautious about that because we don’t want to make any kind of decision before things are clear.
“Can we find a solution for the players that are going out – it’s a lot of work, so there has to be a degree of caution. In the middle of the season it’s not easy to get the players you sometimes want. We have to organise the squad and it’s not easy to find the right targets.”