Nottingham Forest want to sign James Garner as Everton contract move made
Nottingham Forest are eyeing up a sensational move to bring James Garner back to the City Ground.
The former Manchester United youngster spent over a year on loan with the East Midlands outfit, and was influential in their Championship promotion-winning campaign back in 2021-22.
However, he was then snapped up by Everton for a fee of around £15million, where he has continued to build a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most promising young midfielders.
Football Insider recently revealed that Newcastle United are lining up a move for Garner, whose contract on Merseyside is due to expire at the end of the season.
There is now something of a queue forming for the 24-year-old’s signature, but Everton have also now shown their hand ahead of the upcoming January window.
Everton ‘step up’ James Garner talks amid Nottingham Forest interest
David Moyes has been so impressed with Garner’s performances in the early stages of the season that he put his name forward for a potential England call-up back at the start of November.
The Scot is a huge admirer of the midfielder, and that looks set to have a huge impact on where his long-term future will lie in the coming months.
Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Aston Villa are all “keeping tabs” on Garner’s situation as it unfolds at Everton, according to talkSPORT.
However, the trio are now set to be disappointed, as Moyes’ influence is set to play a key role.
The Toffees boss is understood to have made it clear that he has no desire to lose Garner, and Everton are now “stepping up” their talks with the midfielder regarding a new deal.
The Merseysiders have recently handed new contracts to the duo of James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford, and Garner is now thought to be “next on the agenda” for a renewal.
Everton may increase £20m asking price for James Garner transfer
Everton’s asking price for Garner would be over £20m if they do ultimately tie him down to a new contract, but they may be tempted to increase that further after the recent interest.
The number of other clubs that are sniffing around the England hopeful should tell the Toffees everything that they need to know in terms of his current value within the Premier League.
If the likes of Forest are truly serious in their interest, then a new contract is highly unlikely to drive them away for good, as they have already shown that they are not afraid of splashing the cash on their targets.
With that in mind, considering that the project that Moyes is trying to build at Everton will require a consistent spine to his team, they should be upping that asking price by a significant amount when a new contract is agreed.
The new deal should act as a short-term buffer to fend off interest, and a more substantial asking price would help to deter bigger clubs in the future.