Nottingham Forest flyer Matty Cash is a £15 million target for Leeds United and Aston Villa, according to the Sheffield Star.
Considering that full-backs are more wingers than defenders in Marcelo Bielsa’s high-octane, free-flowing style of football, a former Wycombe Wanderers starlet looks pretty much tailor-made for life at Elland Road.
A converted winger, Cash has been a revelation since being transformed into a rampaging right-back by Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi.
In fact, Luke ‘the Lambeth Cafu’ Ayling was perhaps the only man who outperformed Cash during the 2019/20 Championship campaign, with the latter producing an impressive three goals and five assists in Garibaldi red.
And if reports are to be believed, Cash could be battling Ayling for a place in Bielsa’s starting XI next season.
Leeds and Aston Villa are expected to battle Sheffield United, who have already had a £10 million bid rejected, for his sought-after signature.
Nottingham Forest are demanding closer to £15 million (Telegraph).
After sealing their survival on the final day of the campaign, Villa too are expected to bring in reinforcements at right-back given that neither Ahmed Elmohamady and Frederic Guilbert really made the position their own last season.
Forest would be loathe to sell one of their most reliable and committed performers, a player who has risen through the ranks to become one of the first names on Lamouchi’s team-sheet.
But after being consigned to another season of Championship football thanks to a final day collapse at home to Stoke City, a £15 million bid may be impossible to turn down.
“He’s a fantastic player,” former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara told talkSPORT (6 August, 11:00am). “He’s a good player and he will play in the Premier League.”
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