Mimoun Mahi has been tipped to follow in the footsteps of Groningen team-mate Lars Veldwijk and swap the Eredivisie for Nottingham Forest.
With Nottingham Forest prioritising deals for a new goalkeeper and a left-sided centre-half in the January transfer window, talk of a new striker has gone somewhat cold at the City Ground.
According to The Sun back in October, Forest were tracking Groningen’s in-form forward Mimoun Mahi, alongside Championship rivals Bristol City and Premier League duo Stoke City and Swansea.
The report added that Mahi had a £2 million buyout clause in his contract and, based on his excellent form in 2017, looks a snip at that price.
And after being suspended by his club for disciplinary issues two months ago, however, Groningen’s director Hans Nijland told Voetbal International that it was in the best interests of both parties if Mahi left in January. Though the 23-year-old is now back in the first-team picture, it still seems inevitable that he will be on his way in the New Year.
But will he follow in the footsteps of his current Groningen strike partner and swap the Eredivisie for the East Midlands? If so, he will be hoping to do a lot better at Forest than Lars Veldwijk did.
After scoring for fun in the second tier with Excelsior, Nottingham Forest took a punt on Veldwijk in 2014. They might wish they’d never bothered as he failed to net in 12 Championship games for the club.
These days, he finds himself back in Holland with Groningen. And if a move for Mahi is still on the cards, he could do worse than to ask the 26-year-old how to avoid flopping at the City Ground.
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