Nuno Espirito Santo is without centre-backs at Nottingham Forest this summer – although there are plans to change that.
The 50-year-old has only Andrew Omobamidele, Willy Boly and Murillo to choose from in that area, with Joe Worrall expected to follow fellow defenders Moussa Niakhate, Felipe, Scott McKenna and Loic Mbe Soha as they leave the City Ground.
Now Nottingham Forest have decided to sign one of the best players at UEFA Euro 2024 this summer…
Nottingham Forest target Jaka Bijol impressed Alan Shearer and silenced Cristiano Ronaldo
Gianluigi Longari’s story claims Nottingham Forest want to sign Udinese’s 29-year-old Jaka Bijol.
The centre-back shone for Slovenia at UEFA Euro 2024 this summer before Portugal knocked them out of the tournament on penalties in the round of 16.
Despite the sadness for Bijol at the time, he was widely applauded for his performance against Ronaldo, Rafael Leau, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, with Alan Shearer describing Nottingham Forest’s goal as “absolutely outstanding” when covering the match for BBC Sport.
SofaScore, the Slovenian made ten clearances, along with three blocks and two clearances, in that round of 16 clash against Portugal, while looking very comfortable on the ball.
Bijol was also rated as the best Slovenian winger in this game on SofaScore with a rating of 7.4, on a day when he limited Ronaldo to just 17 passes in 120 minutes of play.
Ross Wilson has competition
If Nottingham Forest are to sign Bijol this summer, Ross Wilson – director of football at the City Ground – will have to fend off a strong rival, so to speak.
A story from Mondo Udinese says Aston Villa are pushing hard to sign the 25-year-old and are ready to “close” a deal with the Serie A side.
The Villans could – of course – offer Bijol the opportunity to play UEFA Champions League football next season too, so Nottingham Forest are tasked with winning this transfer battle.