Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest

Premier League • England

Nottingham Forest see £10m O’Brien, Toffolo double deal collapse at last minute

Harry Toffolo Huddersfield May 2022

Nottingham Forest’s proposed transfer of Harry Toffolo has fallen through at the 11th hour leaving a deal for Lewis O’Brien also hanging by a thread, claim reports.

The Premier League newcomers are understood to have agreed a double deal with the Terriers on Sunday. Forest had been tracking the pair that faced them in the Championship play-off final all summer. And a structured double deal worth around £10m had been struck.

That left both players with medicals and personal terms to agree with Forest. But while O’Brien, 23, agreed a deal and passed a medical, defender Toffolo, 26, has seen his transfer collapse.

The Atheltic report that personal terms between left-back Toffolo and Forest are the issue. Toffolo’s representatives, who are the same as recent Forest signing Neco Williams, have “been unable to meet the player’s requirements”.

John Percy of The Telegraph reports that there “is an issue with Toffolo (outside of both clubs).”

Forest are not hanging around either because a number of sources claim they are already looking at alternative left-back targets.

Real Betis star Alex Moreno is a player Forest have been in contact with.

Just where the collapsed deal for Toffolo leaves O’Brien is not clear. The former Bradford loanee has passed a medical and conducted media duties to announce his arrival at the City Ground.

O’Brien, who expected to be unveiled on Tuesday, is stranded in Nottingham with his future is up in the air.

O’Brien deal hope

Forest are expected to try an renegotiate a separate deal for O’Brien. Whether Huddersfield will play ball is uncertain at this point.

O’Brien signed a new deal until 2025 last summer, thus protecting the player’s value. He is understood to have had a release clause in that contract which Forest triggered recently.

Town’s head of football operations Leigh Bromby said earlier this month: “Both players are contracted and in training at the minute. Those two players had fantastic seasons. For me, it shows what the players have done and how they’ve developed that there’s interest.

“Now, if we can keep those players fantastic, [but] there’s a reality to the situation: if there’s Premier League interest, I’m sure the players have ambitions to play there. We have to respect and understand that.

“But both players are happy at Huddersfield Town. They love the experiences they’re having here. They’ve been a big part in what we do. For us to have interest shows we’re doing something right.”