President suggests ‘new Kaka’ could leave as Nottingham Forest eye deal

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Sao Paulo president Julio Casares has responded to interest from Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest in ‘new Kaka’ Igor Gomes, telling Globo Esporte that the current situation is ‘hazy’.

One year after West Ham United missed out on the Brazil U23 international, Gomes could be about to take the Jesse Lingard route; Slipping through David Moyes’ grasp before ending up on the banks of the Trent instead.

According to Brazilian reporter Jorge Nicola, Gomes is refusing to extend his contract at Sao Paulo. His current deal expires in May 2023. And Nottingham Forest ‘intend’ to make the athletic attacking midfielder their latest in a series of summer signings, hoping to fight off competition from Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon and Porto.

“He is a player from the Cotia (the Sao Paolo academy). He tactically complies with all the determinations of the coaching staff,” explains Casares. 

“I always say that the desire to renew with the player has to fit into our budgetary condition. (It depends) on the player’s will, on the club.

“Igor has a proposal for renewal. We are waiting; this moment is still very hazy, with a window that closes in September.”

Will Nottingham Forest sign Igor Gomes?

Casares, then, seems none the wiser about whether or not Gomes will still be a Sao Paulo player by Friday.

Nicola believes there is a chance a player often compared to 2007 Ballon D’Or winner Kaka due to his rangy stride and ball-carrying ability could both join a new club and extend his stay at the Morumbi.

Nottingham Forest, he explains, would prefer to sign Gomes in the New Year. Perhaps they could strike a deal now, before loaning him back for the remainder of the Brazilian season.  

“This boy is special,” former Morumbi coach Fernando Diniz said when Gomes was being linked with a £20 million move to Liverpool a couple of years ago. “And has a very good head on his shoulders.

“He’s a calm guy. He is a player above the curve technically, and as a person too.”