Brighton respond to Nottingham Forest £20m bid
Nottingham Forest have reportedly had a bid of around £20million rejected as they look to sign Brighton star Yasin Ayari.
Forest are in need of new additions throughout their squad right now to give them the best chance of avoiding a shock relegation to the Championship.
Sean Dyche‘s side are just five points from the drop right now in 17th, and are in the market for a new midfielder after Douglas Luiz was recalled by Juventus to go back out on loan to Aston Villa.
Ayari has been a key player for Brighton this season, with manager Fabian Hurzeler recently hailing him as “very important” to the way they like to play.
The Sweden international has scored four goals in 23 appearances so far, with a fine effort against Fulham last weekend being the pick of the bunch, but he could soon leave the south coast after Forest’s new approach.
Forest have seen £20m Ayari bid rejected by Brighton
Ayari has represented another example of Brighton‘s impressive scouting network, after he was snapped up from Swedish side AIK for just £3.5m in January 2023.
He has had to bide his time to become a regular in their first-team, after loan spells at Coventry City and Blackburn Rovers, but is now a key man and would be a huge loss midway through the campaign.
A new post on X from Daily Mail reporter Tom Collomosse has outlined Forest’s interest in his services, after he claimed that they have offered £20m to sign him this month.
The BBC’s Sami Mokbel has followed that with a new post to reveal that Brighton have rejected Forest’s offer, and the City Ground outfit are now weighing up whether to return with a new amount.
Forest have also targeted Lewis Dunk but he will not leave Brighton
Forest fans are in for a busy few days as the club ramps up their transfer business ahead of next Monday’s deadline.
They have approached Crystal Palace with an ambitious deal to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta in the last few days, while reports have emerged of their interest in another Brighton star, Lewis Dunk.
The 34-year-old has made over 500 appearances for the Seagulls since his senior debut in 2010, becoming captain in 2019, and he is considered a club legend at the Amex Stadium.
Dyche is believed to be a big fan of his and has wanted him in the East Midlands, but Football Insider revealed on Tuesday that Brighton have no plans to let Dunk leave, and the same can clearly be said for Ayari after they rebuffed another Reds approach.