Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor has claimed that Nottingham Forest are set to ‘ramp up’ their transfer activity amid links to Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Having achieved promotion from the Championship to the Premier League last season, Steve Cooper’s side will likely be set for a busy summer as they look to avoid an immediate relegation.
Indeed, one play who probably won’t be at the club next term is wingback Djed Spence. After his loan with Forest has come to an end, Tottenham Hotspur will now reportedly try and sign him from Middlesbrough.
With that in mind, Cooper has supposedly got his eye on the Arsenal wingback Maitland-Niles and he could end up being one of five or six signings to be made in the current market.
That’s certainly what Taylor believes. The journalist explained his understanding of Forest’s transfer plans while speaking on the Taylor Talks Transfers.
He said: “There’s also been enquiries to Arsenal for Ainsley Maitland-Niles. He’s a player of interest to Steve Cooper as well.
“So Forest are really starting to ramp up now their transfer drive, they really wanted to strengthen a number of areas of their squad.
“At the moment, obviously, there’s an understanding and appreciation that it’s not quite good [enough] to launch a real survival bid, but Forest are going to show plenty of ambition in the market, and I do expect them to make upwards of five, six signings certainly.”
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Maitland-Niles has spent time out on loan West Brom and more recently Roma in the recent past, so he may well be keen on a permanent exit this summer and with five caps for England, it’s easy to see why Cooper may consider him a ‘player of interest’.
The exciting news for Forest fans might not stop there either. Indeed, they could go out and make a number of other signings in the near future too if they are to reach that predicted figure of five or six new players.
One other name that could be arriving is Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg claims that a loan deal could be completed soon. With that in mind, it’s hard to deny Taylor’s claim that Forest will show ‘plenty of ambition’.