Nottingham Forest were reportedly close to sign Benfica goalkeeper Varela in 2018 but he has now at Eredivisie champions Ajax instead.
Almost 12 months ago, Bruno Varela was expected to become Nottingham Forest’s record signing.
The two-time Champions of Europe were looking to take inspiration from Wolverhampton Wanderers by raiding Portuguese football for some of their brightest young talents while creating a bond with the influential super-agent Jorge Mendes.
And Varela certainly fit the bill. A young goalkeeper with real potential, Record reported that the Benfica number one was expected to seal his move to Nottingham Forest in early July. He was expected to cost £13 million (Record).
So few expected that Forest would sign Luke Steele on a free transfer instead.
And, in the end, Varela’s proposed move to the City Ground failed to materialise. But will he now be wishing it had?
The 24-year-old failed to make a single first-team appearance during the 2018/19 campaign after all. He fell dramatically down the pecking order at Benfica and failed to oust Andre Onana from the starting XI after joining Ajax on loan in January.
So far, Varela’s spell in Amsterdam has been rather bittersweet. Yes, he’s lifted the Eredivisie and KNVB title while sampling a historic Champions League journey. Ajax even decided to extend his loan for another 12 months this week.
But life is never fun when you are sat on the bench and Varela must be wondering how different life would be if that £13 million Nottingham Forest move had come to fruition.
He would not have won any trophies but he might have enhanced his once glittering reputation instead.
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