Nottingham Forest are set to beat Premier League rivals Southampton and Aston Villa to the signing of £15 million Ligue 1 defender Loic Bade, as reported by FootMercato.
It’s not been the best start to deadline day for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints.
Cody Gakpo, seemingly close to joining Southampton on Wednesday night, now looks set to stay at PSV Eindhoven. And Loic Bade, a talented 22-year-old centre-half, appears to be on his way to the banks of the Trent, rather than the banks of the Solent.
Nottingham Forest close in on Rennes’ Loic Bade
Bade, FootMercato say, was a target for Southampton and Aston Villa. Leicester City and Brentford have also been linked. Nottingham Forest are currently the most likely destination however. Bade, nicknamed the ‘new Raphael Varane’ during his time at RC Lens, could arrive on loan with an option to buy clause included in his City Ground contract.
And the signing of a new defender may be well received by Forest fans. Especially after Wednesday’s 6-0 obliteration at the hands of an Erling Haaland-inspired Manchester City. Steve Cook struggled against Tottenham at the weekend, Moussa Niakhate is out with injury and the veteran Cheikhou Kouyate is not a natural in the heart of a back three.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, will have to look elsewhere for defensive reinforcements. Southampton’s Jan Bednarek, Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car and West Ham United’s Craig Dawson are three potential options.
Leicester City also need a Wesley Fofana replacement. The Foxes lost their star centre-back to Chelsea after a prolonged transfer saga this week. Reims’ poodle-haired Wout Faes, however, seems the most likely addition at this stage.
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