Nottingham Forest are offering £5 million for Fiorentina’s Serie A left-back Cristiano Biraghi after Alex Moreno turned down a move to the Premier League outfit, as reported by Italian publication Football News 24.
On Monday morning, it seemed only a matter of time before Alex Moreno was posing for photos in Garibaldi red.
At the third time of asking, Nottingham Forest agreed a fee with Copa del Rey winners Real Betis, shaking hands on a £9 million deal. But Moreno, after taking time to consider his offers, opted to stick around and play Europa League football at the Estadio Benito Villamarin instead, rendering all of Forest’s good work wasted.
“I appreciate the importance of the offer I’ve received,” the 29-year-old wrote on Twitter later in the day. “But after reviewing it, Betis and I have decided to continue our journey together (with Betis).”
Goodbye Alex Moreno, hello Cristiano Biraghi
With just three weeks of the window remaining, however, this is no time to wallow in self pity. Nottingham Forest have already made progress in their pursuit of an alternative target, with negotiations underway regarding Fioretina’s Cristiano Biraghi.
A 13-time Italy international, Forest are offering a transfer fee of £5 million. Biraghi, who’s agent Mario Giuffrida held talks with the Steve Cooper’s play-off winners on Monday evening, would sign a four-year deal at the City Ground worth £35,000-a-week.
The logic of handing a four-year deal to a player who will turn 30 in September can, of course, be debated. What is not in question, however, is Biraghi’s quality.
Like Moreno and Villarreal’s Pervis Estupinan – another left-back linked with Forest, via The Mail – Biraghi is a reliable source of creativity in the final third. He scored five goals for Fiorentina last season; Three of those coming from direct free-kicks.
Biraghi, who played under Antonio Conte at Inter Milan in 2019/20, can play at left-back or further forward. He feels like a round peg in a round hole, as far as Cooper’s 3-5-2 formation is concerned.
Biraghi admits to having held talks with AC Milan in the recent past. He also turned down Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the summer of 2021.
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