One Nottingham Forest player is attracting interest from West Ham and was the subject of interest from Chelsea in January.
The Reds are likely going to be busy this summer with more emphasis placed on streamlining the squad.
Forest have had two busy summer transfer windows since they returned to the Premier League but might be more savvy this time around.
Nuno Espirito Santo knows that players will need to be sold but he will also want the competitive nature of the squad to remain.
Now, it’s been claimed that one player is attracting interest from West Ham ahead of the summer transfer window.
Taiwo Awoniyi wanted by West Ham
It might be all change in the dugout at West Ham but it appears the Hammers remain keen on Awoniyi.
Julen Lopetegui, previously linked with Forest, is in place at the London Stadium and it would seem the club are keen on the Reds’ talisman.
Daniel Taylor – the Forest supporting award-winning journalist – has been discussing the player’s future during a Q&A with The Athletic this afternoon.
He said: “Awoniyi is another player getting interest from potential buyers. I know Forest would rather keep him though.
“Chelsea tried for him in the January transfer window. David Moyes was also keen and West Ham still like him.
“His value has diminished because of the number of games he has missed through injury. But we’ve seen what he can do when he’s in good condition.
“There’s also a bit of sympathy for him behind the scenes. He was rushed back from an operation last season and had to be managed between games.
“The guy was playing through the pain at times. It ended with him breaking down again and there was a bit of disquiet about how everything was handled.”
Forest should persist with Awoniyi
Although the Reds need to raise funds to ensure they comply with financial fair play once again, Awoniyi is so important.
Okay, so the player might have missed a lot of last season but he still scored six goals during 2023/24.
Awoniyi needs his game time managing more meticulously and Forest shouldn’t be selling him at the first sign of struggle.
As Taylor says, he’s been dealt a rough hand with injury and it would be nice if the club had a younger striker to rotate Awoniyi and Wood with.
The player cost £18 million from Union Berlin and the Nigerian never struggled with injuries during his time in the Bundesliga.
It’s not clear at this stage whether West Ham will come forward with an offer but if they do, Forest would be wise to hold on to Awoniyi.
