According to London World, Nottingham Forest want to sign Cheikhou Kouyate after Crystal Palace decided not to keep him at Selhurst Park.
What’s the story?
Well, the report claims that Crystal Palace offered the Senegal international a one-year extension, after his contract expired in July.
However, Kouyate wanted a two-year contract, which the south Londoners were not in agreement with.
Eventually, Crystal Palace withdrew their one-year contract offer after signing Cheick Doucoure, and decided to part ways with the 32-year-old.
Now, Nottingham Forest are in contact with Kouyate’s representatives as they aim to bring him to the City Ground on a free transfer.
Interestingly, some Crystal Palace players believe Patrick Vieira should have kept the Dakar-born powerhouse.
London World claim that some of the Eagles squad have anonymously told them that Kouyate will be a massive miss this season, and wish he was coming back to SE25.
That bodes well for Steve Cooper, and should ease any fears Nottingham Forest supporters had about whether or not the versatile midfielder can still do the business at Premier League level.
Crystal Palace trash can be Nottingham Forest treasure
In our view, Kouyate would be a superb signing for Nottingham Forest.
The Africa Cup of Nations winner is capable of playing in midfield as well as at centre-back, while he also boasts a tremendous amount of experience at Premier League level, as well as on the international scene.
Kouyate has amassed 258 Premier League appearances across spells at West Ham and Crystal Palace, while he can also boast Champions League experience after making 12 outings in the competition for Anderlecht.
Furthermore, he has also captained Senegal on numerous occasions, winning 82 caps for his country in total.
If Nottingham Forest get this deal over the line, it would be a huge boost to their hopes of survival.
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