Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest

Premier League • England

Nottingham Forest transfer news: Islam Slimani added to shortlist despite worrying report from Sporting CP boss

Islam Slimani looks dejected after Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus scores their first goal before it is disallowed after a VAR review

Nottingham Forest reportedly want to add experienced striker Islam Slimani to their squad following their promotion into the Premier League.

A controversial 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium confirmed their stop in the top flight next season. Now, Forest will look to use summer to build a squad capable of avoiding the drop straight back down. It is suggested the club will look to former Leicester City striker Slimani to bolster their attack next season.

That’s according to Portuguese outlet Record, who claim that Slimani is one of a number of targets for Nottingham Forest.

Slimani only joined Sporting CP in the January transfer window. Since then, he has netted four times from nine appearances in the Primeira Liga.

However, manager Ruben Amorin was not convinced by his performances in Portugal. As a result, the club are not expected to try and keep him for another season.

Before that, he was playing inside Ligue 1 for Lyon, where in 12 appearances he bagged just one goal.

The Algerian international may now be set for a return to England.

Forest will also need to recruit at least one striker this summer. The clubs top scorer from last season, Brennan Johnson, has been linked with a move away.

The latest rumours suggested Everton were preparing  a move for Johnson. However, their promotion now means Johnson is more likely to stay at the club.

Islam Slimani suffered tough spell in Premier League

The last time Slimani featured in a Premier League fixture was back in 2020. The striker then completed a free transfer from Leicester City to Lyon during the 2021 January transfer.

His four-year stint in England never managed to live up to expectations. Having joined for a club-record fee of £28m, fans expected Slimani to be a hit at the King Power Stadium.

In his first season, Slimani managed 11 goal contributions from 23 Premier League appearances. But a disappointing start to the 2017/18 campaign meant that the attacker was loaned out to Newcastle United for the rest of that season.

At the Magpies, Slimani suffered numerous injury concerns and managed just four appearance, failing to get a goal or assist.

Loan spells to Fenerbahce and Monaco were also unsuccessful , before Slimani eventually completed his permanent move away from Leicester.

With that being said, it would be a strange decision for Forest to include Slimani on their transfer shortlist.

However, the 33-year-old does have an obvious eye for goal, and could potentially add some top flight experience to the newcomers.

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