Nottingham Forest is set to make its first sale of the summer transfer window. Reports indicate that Lyon has reached an agreement to sign a player from Nuno Espirito Santo`s team, who earns around £40,000 per week at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest Pursue Crystal Palace`s European Spot
Beyond transfer speculation, owner Evangelos Marinakis is working to improve Nottingham Forest`s standing off the pitch before the next season starts. The Greek owner has reportedly written to UEFA, attempting to secure Crystal Palace`s potential Europa League spot due to concerns that the Eagles might be breaching multi-club ownership regulations.
This letter from Forest is unlikely to win them any friends in South London among the Crystal Palace faithful. Their clear aim is to gain a better European qualification spot. Without Crystal Palace`s FA Cup victory, Nottingham Forest`s seventh-place league finish would have secured them a place in the Europa League, instead of the Europa Conference League.
Given the potential exclusion of Crystal Palace from European competition due to John Textor`s involvement with both the South London club and Lyon (also a Europa League qualifier), Forest seems keen to take full advantage.
Whether these efforts will be successful remains to be seen, but a Europa League spot could greatly help Forest, both by boosting their finances and by attracting key players.
However, these actions may not prevent the departure of one particular player. While Morgan Gibbs-White is already the subject of transfer speculation, reportedly including interest from Manchester City, one Nottingham Forest player now appears set to leave.
Matt Turner Agreed to Join Lyon from Nottingham Forest
Reports indicate that Lyon has agreed to sign Matt Turner from Nottingham Forest for just €8 million (£6.7 million) this summer. The backup goalkeeper, signed for £10 million, is expected to be the first player to leave Forest, resulting in a financial loss but saving the Midlands club around £40,000 per week in wages.
Although Turner eventually lost his starting position to Matz Sels, the American goalkeeper still had positive moments at the City Ground and during his time at Arsenal, where he earned considerable praise.
During his time at Arsenal, Turner received praise from manager Mikel Arteta. Following a clean sheet against Bodo/Glimt, Arteta told reporters: “He was much better in the first half than in the second half in my opinion. We could have had some more control. But I think he was phenomenal in the goal in situations especially when defending the area in behind the centre halves, and in the one-against-one situations he was really good.”
