Nott’m Forest transfer: Joe Worrall undergoing Besiktas medical ahead of City Ground exit

Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall is undergoing a medical at Turkish giants Besiktas ahead of a loan move, TEAMtalk can reveal.

Besiktas are in the market for a new central defender before the close of the transfer window and they have made a move for Forest man Worrall.

The Turkish club have been scouring Premier League clubs for defensive reinforcements before their transfer window closes, having also been credited with an interest in Newcastle defender Jamaal Lascelles.

However, their attention has largely been on the Forest man of late. Worrall was in attendance for Besiktas’ 2-0 win over Trabzonspor and is set to join the club on loan until the end of the season.

He was the subject of interest from Sheffield United and Leeds United during the January transfer window, but he remained at Forest when the transfer window closed last Thursday.

The Blades’ interest seemed to have waned when they opted to sign Mason Holgate from fellow relegation strugglers Everton in the latter stages of the January transfer window.

Interest in Worrall comes after Steve Cooper left the defender out of his squad for a number of games towards the back end of his tenure at the City Ground, and Nuno Espirito Santo has followed suit since he took over.

Forest were therefore open to offloading Worrall while the English window was open as any sale would represent pure profit due to his homegrown status and would therefore boost the club’s Profit and Sustainability figures.

And despite English clubs no longer being able to do business, Forest have almost completed their attempt to offload him, given Turkish sides can still make moves.

Besiktas are ready to offer the defender first-team football, and given he’s way down the pecking order at Forest, it seems he’s willing to accept that. That said, sources state the move will only be a loan.

TEAMtalk revealed over the weekend that Worrall has already said yes to the switch, in fact, and the medical is one of the final steps before the transfer is officially confirmed.

He’ll leave the City Ground with 226 Forest games under his belt, and it’s not yet clear whether the 27-year-old will ever get the chance to add to that tally.

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