According to French outlet LeProgres, Nottingham Forest have shocked Lyon with their latest bid for Houssem Aouar.
The midfielder has been linked with the Reds for quite some time now, and while it looked as though the two parties were close to reaching an agreement at one point, Forest are seemingly miles away from where Lyon want them to be.
According to this report, Forest’s latest Aouar offer was for just €10m split into six separate payments.
That would be a dirt-cheap deal for a French international midfielder branded as ‘incredible’ in the past, and, in all honesty, it’s hard to imagine Lyon going for that.
Forest have been one of the biggest spenders in England this summer, with a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White set to take their spending close to the £140m mark.
After spending so much, the East Midlanders may not have so much breathing room in regards to FFP at the moment, so this cheap deal for Aouar with deferred payments may be a product of FFP pressures.
Unfortunately for Forest, it seems as though the Premier League side are quite some way away from bringing Aouar to the City Ground, and with Crystal Palace also reportedly now circling the Lyon star, Forest’s race may be run.
It must be said, after signing the likes of Remo Freuler, Lewis O’Brien and Orel Mangala, landing Aouar may be overkill in the midfield.
However, you can never discount the possibility of Evangelos Marinakis having a trick or two up his sleeve, and while Forest seem to be getting further away from signing Aouar, you can’t discount the possibility of the Frenchman ending up on Trentside.
This is certainly a situation to keep an eye on as we enter the final two weeks of the transfer window.
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