Nottingham Forest: Morato exit door opens as Jan Ziolkowski move edges closer
Nottingham Forest centre-back Morato is surely likely to leave the club this summer as they advance in a move to sign Jan Ziolkowski.
Vitor Pereira is keen to get Forest’s business underway early this summer after he guided the club to Premier League survival.
He is set to be backed by Evangelos Marinakis ahead of next term, with new additions lined up across the pitch following the likely loss of Elliot Anderson for a huge fee.
Roma centre-back Jan Ziolkowski is reportedly on their radar as the Serie A club aim to raise over £60million in player sales before 30 June to comply with UEFA’s financial rules.
His possible arrival in the coming weeks could see Morato involved in Forest’s transfer plans after he was linked with a move away from the East Midlands in January.
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VISIT THE FOREST TRANSFER HUBJan Ziolkowski could be an upgrade on Morato for Nottingham Forest
Morato only made 14 league starts for Forest in 2025-26 but was a regular throughout their run to the Europa League semi-finals.
He has often found himself struggling for regular minutes in key games behind the likes of Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo, who are each set to stay at the City Ground this summer.
| Appearances | 21 |
| Minutes played | 1342′ |
| Accurate long balls per 90 | 3.22 |
| Duels won % | 63.7% |
| Defensive contributions per 90 | 9.59 |
| Goals conceded while on pitch per 90 | 1.54 |
| Yellow cards | 5 |
Fellow Brazilian centre-back Jair Cunha also came into the side in the last few months of the season and is set for more chances next term after several impressive performances.
Forest rejected a £17m bid from Wolfsburg for Morato’s services in the January window as they were not prepared to let any players leave on Deadline Day.
He certainly seems like the most likely of their current centre-backs to depart, especially with Ziolkowski now on their radar.
Sportmediaset have claimed that Forest hold a concrete interest in his services, and a deal is likely to be completed despite the two clubs being apart in their valuations as it stands.
Murillo latest is bad news for Morato’s future at Forest
Forest are clearly likely to sell one of their current centre-backs to make room for Ziolkowski in Pereira’s squad.
Rumours around Murillo’s future have constantly circled after his fine performances at the back for the Reds in the last two seasons.
He signed a new contract last month to tie his City Ground future down until 2030, however, and now Football Insider’s sources have exclusively revealed that Forest will not sell Murillo this summer.
All signs seem to be pointing to Morato being the centre-back that Pereira will be happiest to move on ahead of next season.
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