Nottingham Forest are back in the race to sign Lassana Coulibaly and may have an advantage over Midland rivals Leicester City as the Foxes face relegation from the Premier League.
A one-time Rangers loanee who has rebuilt his reputation over in Serie A, Nottingham Forest showed an interest in January and will return with a vengeance over the summer.
That is according to Tuttomercatoweb anyway. The £8.5 million-rated Lassana Coulibaly has been in imperious form throughout the 2022/23 season at Salernitana, his ball-winning prowess catching the eye of a Forest side with the joint-third-worst defensive record in the whole of the Premier League.
Only Leeds United and Bournemouth have conceded more. Leicester City, meanwhile, have let in the same number; a staggering 67.
Nottingham Forest could beat Leicester City to Lassana Coulibaly
Leicester are keen on Coulibaly too, TMW add. Presumably, for the same reasons. Wilfried Ndidi is a pale imitation of the man who could conceivably consider himself to have been one of the Premier League’s most effective defensive midfielders a couple of years ago.
Coulibaly’s trajectory, however, is trending in the opposite direction. Only a handful of midfielders average more than his 2.3 successful tackles per game in Serie A. Coulibaly is a big reason why Salernitana look certain to be a top-flight side again in 2023/24.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, may be best-placed to lure him away from the Stadio Arechi during the upcoming summer window. Four points accrued from their last two matches – a 2-2 draw with Chelsea following a 4-3 triumph over now-relegated Southampton – means Forest have their destiny in their own hands.
The same cannot be said of a Leicester side seemingly destined for the drop, just two years after beating Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley to claim both the FA Cup and Community Shield. Dean Smith’s side could beat both Newcastle and west Ham in their final two fixtures and still go down.
Described as a midfield ‘destroyer’ by former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard; Coulibaly has an admirer in the shape of Forest boss Steve Cooper.
Forest have an array of deep-lying playmakers; Remo Freuler, Jonjo Shelvey and Orel Mangala. But few dedicated ball-winners in the number six spot.
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