Nottingham Forest are pushing to complete one of the most exciting transfer windows in their recent history under new manager Oliver Glasner.
The Austrian’s arrival at the City Ground has signalled a new era for the club, with owner Evangelos Marinakis making his ambitions clear by appointing a proven winner.
Elliot Anderson’s £116m move to Manchester City this summer has handed Forest a substantial transfer war chest to strengthen the squad ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Glasner’s decision to deploy a back-three system has already shaped Forest’s recruitment strategy, with a £34m deal to sign Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande advancing towards completion.
The 22-year-old Ivorian defender is said to have agreed a deal to join the Reds, with Sporting CP having secured a replacement in recent days to smooth the transfer along.
Diomande’s quality is beyond question, having been dribbled past only six times in the Liga Portugal last season, with just 11% of take-ons against him successfully completed.
His Champions League campaign also impressed, registering a 94% pass accuracy and winning 67% of aerial duels across nine appearances in the competition last season.
Previous interest from Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United underlines how highly regarded Diomande is across European football, making the reported £34m fee look like a potential bargain.
However, Forest’s recruitment team may be about to pull off an equally thrilling piece of business by landing Feyenoord right-back Givairo Read.
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Forest have returned to the table and submitted a second offer to Feyenoord for the 20-year-old Dutch talent.
Romano also claims the player would be open to joining the Reds, with personal terms not expected to be an obstacle, leaving the two clubs to settle on a transfer fee.
Manchester City and Bayern Munich have both been linked with Read in recent times, yet Forest now appear to be in pole position to secure his signature.
Read completed 87% of his passes and registered 0.3 assists per 90 in the Eredivisie last season, both figures ranking him in the top 15% of full-backs across Europe.
The Feyenoord defender also recorded 1.3 successful dribbles per 90 at a 72% success rate, figures that placed him above 93% of players in his position during the campaign.
Defensively, Read made 4.2 ball recoveries and 1.3 interceptions per 90, while a 61% ground duel success rate highlights his strength and composure against direct opponents.
Glasner built his Crystal Palace side around dynamic wing-backs, with Daniel Munoz a key example of the profile he demands in that role, and Read fits that blueprint precisely.
A fee reported in the region of £20m for a player with Read’s quality and potential would represent outstanding value for a club with Champions League ambitions.
While Diomande would slot seamlessly into the back-three, Read’s potential impact in the wing-back role could prove just as vital to Glasner’s system taking shape.
Forest’s recruitment team appears to be targeting exactly the calibre of player needed to compete at the highest level, with both signings complementing each other perfectly.
If both deals are finalised, Nottingham Forest will head into the new Premier League season with genuine cause for optimism under their ambitious and forward-thinking new manager.