Nottingham Forest could strike as Roma priced out of move for attacker who is ‘just so good’

Nottingham Forest will have money to spend in the summer, but that’s not to say that there won’t be bargains to exploit as Roma look set to give Forest an affordable opportunity.

Despite the discrepancies in UEFA prize money between the competitions, Forest’s European qualification has set them up for a potentially significant summer transfer window.

Forest will spend serious money to ensure that this continental qualification is not just a one-off, but cut-price deals could still provide the desired impact.

Liam Delap is of interest to Forest given his relegation release clause, but the asking price of another potential target could see the Reds spring into action.

Roma cannot afford Nottingham Forest target Alexis Saelemaekers

It’s been no secret that Forest have shown interest in Alexis Saelemaekers, with the Belgian consistently touted as one of Nuno Espirito Santo’s preferred targets.

Perhaps this is due to his versatility as he has played in defence and attack for Roma this season, earning praise from teammate Gianluca Mancini, who told DAZN: “He’s so good. He plays in all the roles as if it were nothing.”

However, according to Il Messaggero [via Pagine Romaniste], Mancini won’t be seeing Saelemaekers much longer as Roma cannot afford to turn his loan into a permanent move.

The report said: “Roma have made it clear that they do not want to invest the $20/25 million requested. There is interest in the winger from the Premier League (Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Newcastle), but all discussions have been postponed.”

At a price of £21m, Saelemaekers could well be a no-brainer for Forest if they can beat the likes of Newcastle to a deal for a player who is on an upward trajectory.

Alexis Saelemaekers’ value is ‘almost double’ what it was pre-Roma