Nottingham Forest are reportedly closing in on the signing of Olympique Lyonnais star Houssem Aouar, a player Arsenal have been linked with for the best part of two years.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the newly-promoted Premier League side are close to adding the French midfielder to their ranks in what would be Steve Cooper’s 15th signing of the summer window, a top-flight English record should the deal go through, with Aouar regarded by many as one of Ligue 1’s most exciting players a name that has been heavily linked with Arsenal since 2020.
The Gunners almost signed Aouar two years ago and have remained linked with Aouar ever since, with Lyon reportedly shooting down a £35m offer from the north London side in the past, however, it is now expected that Forest will sign the 24-year-old maestro for a much lower transfer fee.
With Forest going bananas in the transfer market, the signing of Aouar could be the biggest the Nottingham giants make this summer given how highly-regarded the French midfielder is, with Arsenal and also Real Betis reportedly interested in landing the Ligue 1 superstar.
Indeed, with Forest taking a surprise lead in the race to sign Aouar, Cooper and his team must be applauded given how impressive this coup could potentially be, with the Frenchman having the potential to increase the City Ground side’s chances of staying up in the Premier League this season.
Forest signing Aouar could being Cooper’s Premier League squad together
Making so many signings after being promoted to the Premier League always brings the odds of going straight down to the Championship right up, if history is any indication to go by, but for City signing Aouar, the Nottingham side could have recruited a player who could keep them in the top-flight for many years to come.
After all, Aouar is a coveted player many top sides in Europe wanted to sign, such as Arsenal, and for Forest to win the race to the classy midfielder is a big shock to the system and one that could keep Cooper’s side in the Premier League beyond this season despite the huge squad overhaul.
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