Nottingham Forest Receive ‘Top-Tier Transfer’ Signal as Summer Move Gains Momentum

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Byadmin
February 8, 2026
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Nottingham Forest were unable to land a new midfielder before the winter transfer window shut, despite strong efforts to do so.

Strengthening in the middle of the park was high on the Reds’ priority list ahead of last Monday’s deadline. Forest explored several options, including submitting three bids for Celtic’s Arne Engels, but ultimately failed to add to Sean Dyche’s squad in that area.

Among their targets was NEC Nijmegen’s Kodai Sano. Reports in the Netherlands claim Ajax had a €15 million (£13m) offer rejected for the Japan international, while Forest went higher with a €20 million (£17m) bid — only to see that turned down as well.

NEC technical director Carlos Aalbers has since explained why the Dutch club stood firm. While acknowledging the size of the offers, he made it clear that NEC had no intention of selling the 22-year-old mid-season. However, he suggested the situation could change in the summer.

Speaking to Soccer News, Aalbers said the club handled the interest internally, first discussing matters with Sano and his representatives before informing interested clubs that no bids would be accepted in January.

“They were strong offers,” he admitted, “but clubs are welcome to return in the summer. We’re building towards something special and want to complete it together.”

Aalbers also pointed to the financial backing of Marcel Boekhoorn as a key factor in their decision. “€20 million is a significant amount. Without Boekhoorn, it would have been difficult to refuse. But even if the offer had doubled, a transfer was not what we wanted.”

He acknowledged Sano’s ambition to move on, revealing that four clubs — including sides from the Premier League and Bundesliga — had made approaches. Despite that, the timing did not suit NEC.

“It’s natural that he wants to take the next step,” Aalbers added. “But he has remained professional and never caused problems. Some players in that position might refuse to train. Because of his attitude, we will work towards securing him a top-level move next summer.”