Nottingham Forest are interested in signing an in-demand £35,000-a-week defender in January, according to a new report.
The Reds have enjoyed a fantastic start to the Premier League season but suffered a bump in the road over the weekend as they were beaten by Newcastle United at The City Ground. Nuno Espirito Santo will hope this doesn’t derail their campaign as supporters continue to dream of European football.
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Nottingham Forest news
Forest’s start to the season has been so good that owner Evangelos Marinakis is keen to tie Nuno down to a new contract. The Portuguese’s current deal runs until 2026, but the fact that the Reds sit in the top half, a few points away from the top four, has “impressed” Marinakis to the point that a new deal is in the offing.
That will likely be a priority for the Forest board, as they will not want to lose Nuno to another team. But as well as looking to secure their manager’s future, the Premier League side are also looking ahead to January.
Forest are interested in signing Chris Rigg from Sunderland after his impressive performances in the Championship have put him on their radar. The midfielder has caught the eye of a number of teams in recent weeks, and Forest are now the latest side to show an interest as they look to bolster their squad when January arrives.
As well as looking at Rigg, Forest also hold an interest in another player playing in England—someone who is unhappy with his current situation.
Nottingham Forest eyeing January deal for Lamptey
According to CaughtOffside, Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Tariq Lamptey from Brighton & Hove Albion. The right-back has been with the Seagulls since January 2020, when he joined from Chelsea after coming through the youth academy at Stamford Bridge.
Lamptey, who earns £35,000 a week at Brighton, was a firm regular in the starting XI when he arrived, playing a key role under former managers Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi, but the same cannot be said under Fabian Hurzeler.
The 24-year-old has played just four times this season, and three of those appearances have come in the Carabao Cup. His single appearance in the league came in a 10-minute cameo against Wolves a couple of weeks ago.
| Tariq Lamptey’s Premier League record | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 90 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 8 |
Lamptey is in the final year of his contract at Brighton and is thought to be considering leaving the club by the end of the season, but given that is when his contract ends, Brighton may look to offload him in January.
It is reported that the defender has shown no desire to sign a new contract as he is unhappy with his current situation, which has alerted Forest, as well as Brentford, Everton, and West Ham. His preference is to remain in the Premier League, but he does have an option to move abroad, as Juventus are also interested in his services.
