Steve Cooper ‘seriously interested’ in landing PSG man for Nottingham Forest, with Reds waiting on crucial response

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper is hopeful of signing a Paris Saint-Germain player before Tuesday’s transfer deadline, with the East Midlands side currently waiting on one integral factor.

Forest had an eventful summer transfer window as they prepared for their first Premier League campaign since 1998-99. They brought in an astonishing 23 players, spending almost £150million in total.

Cooper’s side was improved by the arrivals of top stars such as Morgan Gibbs-White, Dean Henderson, Jesse Lingard and Taiwo Awoniyi.

It took the plethora of new players time to gel together, as would be expected, resulting in a slow league start. But Cooper has got Forest firing in recent weeks and they have moved themselves up to 13th place in the Premier League, four points above the drop zone.

The Reds have had a fairly quiet January window, in comparison with their summer exploits, though they have still captured two new players.

Arsenal-linked midfielder Danilo moved to the City Ground on January 16. The deal is worth £18million plus add-ons.

Danilo has been followed to the club by striker Chris Wood. He has moved to Forest on loan with the obligation to buy at the end of the season. Sky Sports claim he will cost £15m when joining Forest permanently this summer.

Cooper still needs a new goalkeeper though amid Henderson’s muscle injury. On January 19, the manager confirmed Henderson would be out for ‘four to five weeks’.

Forest were recently linked with a shock swoop for veteran PSG shot-stopper Keylor Navas. And Fabrizio Romano has now given an update on that hunt.

Fabrizio Romano provides latest on Forest transfer plans

In a tweet, he wrote that Cooper and Forest are ‘seriously interested’ in snapping up the Costa Rican. It is a ‘concrete idea’ for the Premier League newcomers.

In a boost for Forest, Navas would be open to trying out English football. He has played in Costa Rica, Spain and France before, so the Prem would represent a new challenge for him.

However, Forest must wait for PSG’s approval before they can sign Navas. The Ligue 1 giants are currently deciding whether to loan him out or keep him at the Parc des Princes for the rest of the season.

Navas certainly looks dispensable at PSG. He has only made two appearances all season, and those came in the Coupe de France. Instead, manager Christophe Galtier has gone with Gianluigi Donnarumma as his first-choice keeper.

Spaniard Sergio Rico is also in Galtier’s squad. So he would still have a backup if he let Navas go to Forest.

Clearly, the three-time Champions League winner is in the twilight years of his career and past his best. But he remains a good shot-stopper and could therefore still do a decent job in the Prem.

Plus, signing someone of that calibre would show Forest fans once again that club chiefs mean business.