Nottingham Forest's Bid for Dilane Bakwa Rejected by Strasbourg
Nottingham Forest has had a £30.2 million offer rejected by Strasbourg for French forward Dilane Bakwa.
The 22-year-old player is eager to join Forest and remains hopeful that the transfer can be revisited.
Forest's proposal included an initial fee of £23.7 million plus £6.5 million in add-ons; however, Strasbourg is seeking a minimum upfront payment of £30 million along with additional incentives.
Bakwa has recorded 11 goals and 20 assists in 69 appearances for Strasbourg since his move from Bordeaux in 2023. Notably, Strasbourg shares the same BlueCo ownership as Chelsea.
Premier League newcomers Leeds and Sunderland have also expressed interest in the France Under-21 international, who is versatile enough to play both as a winger and a forward.
This bid comes amid speculation regarding the future of Forest's manager, Nuno Espirito Santo. The 51-year-old acknowledged on Friday that his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis has “changed” and that they “are not as close” as before.
Much of the discontent appears to stem from the club's summer transfer activities, despite the addition of eight new players, including winger Dan Ndoye—who started in the recent 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace—and forwards James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, Arnaud Kalimuendo, and midfielder Douglas Luiz.
Nevertheless, Nuno is keen to bolster his squad further by acquiring another goalkeeper and two full-backs, especially with the club competing in the Europa League this season.
Sources have informed BBC Sport that Nuno's position is not entirely secure, despite last season's success in finishing seventh in the league and qualifying for European competition. This uncertainty is reportedly affecting the playing squad as well.
Forest will host West Ham in their next Premier League match on Sunday.