Bid prepared for Ligue 1 striker back on the Forest radar

Harry McMullen

Nottingham Forest are preparing a £1.2m bid for the Strasbourg forward Nuno da Costa, as the club look for January reinforcements to back-up Lewis Grabban.

According to L’Alsace, the Reds may have to improve their bid as the French side have set an asking price of £2.1m.

The forward was linked with Forest at the beginning of the window but after a good run in the league – the rumours have rekindled.

Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi openly admitted the club’s need for reinforcements upfront, with striker Lewis Grabban the club’s only out-and-out goal threat.

Da Costa has not been in the best of form for Strasbourg this season, only scoring twice in 20 appearances – but Lamouchi believes the forward would provide ample support for top-scorer Grabban.

The Cape Verde international was approached by the Reds earlier in the transfer window but an injury to da Costa also postponed the negotiations.

Forest have been linked with a number of other strikers, with Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle and Brighton’s Glenn Murray, the latest names to be doing the rounds.

 

 

According to NottinghamshireLivethe City Ground faithful would much prefer the club to part way with more money for the likes of Murray and Gayle, as opposed to out-of-form da Costa.

Meanwhile in the league, the Reds are now only four points away from the automatic spots in the Championship, following a 1-1 draw against Reading on Wednesday.

Lamouchi’s men are undefeated this year, picking up 11 points from a possible 15.

Club top-scorer Grabban bagged his 16th goal of the season in the Reading draw, moving the Reds up to fourth in the process.

Forest have a tough run of fixtures with promotion rivals Leeds, Brentford and West Brom coming up in the next few weeks.

The Reds will be hopeful of recruiting a forward in this time but whether that forward is Glenn Murray, Dwight Gayle or Nuno da Costa, remains to be seen.