Houssem Aouar could be on the verge of joining Nottingham Forest. The Lyon midfielder has less than a year remaining on his current deal. Several Premier League teams, most notably Arsenal, have been linked with a move for the 24-year-old in the past.
Nottingham Forest continue their summer splurge after their promotion. They aim to secure a place in the top flight. Aouar is set to be their 15th signing (yes you read that correctly). He will follow another midfielder, Cheikhou Kouyate. The Senegalese star recently signed a 2-year deal after his contract with Crystal Palace came to an end.
The 24-year-old has previously been linked with moves to various Premier League teams. Aouar also recently reportedly saw a transfer to Real Betis fall through. Up until recently, Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, was rumoured to be quite interested in the possibility of signing the Frenchman.
However, Arsenal went on to sign Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid and Fabio Viera from Porto instead. The emergence of Emile Smith Rowe from their academy has further reduced their need for a creative midfielder. As a result, it looks unlikely that the North Londoners will rekindle their pursuit of Aouar.
What Next For Aouar?
Since then, the newly promoted Nottingham Forest has identified Aouar as one of its top transfer targets. Get French Football News reports that they are getting closer to finalising a deal to acquire the highly sought-after midfielder.
Houssem Aouar was reportedly “seduced” during the discussions of a transfer. He has already reached a personal agreement with Forest. They now need to finalize a sum with the Ligue 1 outfit to close the deal.
Fellow French player Neal Maupay from Brighton is also a target for Forest. Graham Potted did not name him in his squad last weekend after negotiations for a potential £15 million transfer moved forward. Fulham and Everton are also in the race though.
Follow us on Twitter for more football updates.
