Nottingham Forest hope to beat Southampton to £15m ‘new Varane’

Follow us on Google Discover

Nottingham Forest have approached Rennes to enquire about the £15 million Ligue 1 benchwarmer Loic Bade, with RMC Sport reporting rival Premier League interest from Leicester City, Southampton and Brentford. 

Expect centre-halves to be the subject of much discussion on deadline day.

Leicester need a replacement for Wesley Fofana. Southampton may need a replacement for Jan Bednarek. And, as for Nottingham Forest, well they just want as many players as they can get, as Steve Cooper aims to put together an eclectic mix of talented players capable of providing depth and quality in every position on the park. 

Is Loic Bade heading to the Premier League?

Bade, a 6ft 3ins, right-footed central defender, only joined Rennes for £15 million last year. His stay at Roazhon Park could be cut short, however, after playing just one of a potential five Ligue 1 matches this term under Bruno Genesio.

Nottingham Forest enquired about the 22-year-old’s availability on Wednesday. Leicester, Southampton and Brentford are also admirers of the one-time Lens stopper.  

“It is certain that I have a goal. And that is to play for the biggest European clubs and to try to win as many trophies as possible,” Bade said two years ago. 

The France U21 international was attracting interest from Liverpool and Arsenal back then. Now, after a difficult spell at Rennes, that ‘goal’ looks like a pipe dream for the time being. His top priority should be to get his career back on track, and a move to the other side of the Channel could offer him the opportunity to do just that. 

Bade was once nicknamed the second coming of Raphael Varane at Lens. Like the now-Manchester United ace, he started his career at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis; catching the eye with his expert positional sense, supreme composure and quality in possession. 

“He’s what? 20?,” raved former Lens team-mate Ignatius Ganago. “And when you see him on the pitch, he’s so confident and reassuring that you think he’s 26 or 27!”