Nottingham Forest front-runners to sign Givairo Read and follow up by landing his close friend
Nottingham Forest look likely to follow up the signing of top target Givairo Read with his friend Ernest Poku.
Oliver Glasner is keen to improve his squad in several areas this summer ahead of his first season in charge at the City Ground.
Forest have already signed free agent Xaver Schlager after he left RB Leipzig, with Sporting CP star Ousmane Diomande soon set to join him as their second summer signing.
They are targeting Feyenoord right-back Givairo Read, and are in advanced talks over a move worth around £20million.
He looks set to arrive at the City Ground in the coming days, with the Reds also keen on signing fellow Dutch youngster Poku, who can play on either wing and as an attacking midfielder.
Sunderland have also joined the race for Poku alongside Forest, but Glasner's side should fancy their chances of landing his signature if they get a deal done for Read.
Givairo Read could give Ernest Poku a clear incentive to join Forest over Sunderland
20-year-old Read has attracted the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs since emerging onto the first-team scene at Feyenoord under Robin van Persie.
Forest are now the clear favourites to sign him this summer after he registered two goals and three assists in 20 appearances last season and emerged with standout statistics in several key metrics.
If Read's arrival at Forest is announced soon, then they should also feel confident of signing Poku ahead of Sunderland.
22-year-old Poku, who registered 13 goal contributions in 45 games for Leverkusen last term, is a former teammate of Read's at youth level for the Netherlands.
The two are close friends and last featured alongside each other in October 2025 for the Dutch under-21 side, with Poku providing more context around their relationship in April last year.
After they had faced off in the Eredivisie for Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar respectively, Poku heaped praise on Read and said: "Yes, (I know him) from Jong Oranje. Read is pretty close to my brother and me. He is a good player, strong defensively and also good on the ball, so they weren't easy duels, but yeah, good player, wow. You can just see it in his game, not just in this match but in multiple matches, that he's a great player."
Forest are now targeting both young stars, and they could well end up as clear front-runners for Poku's signature if his close friend Read joins in the coming days.
What has Read said about leaving Feyenoord?
Sources have revealed to Football Insider that Forest have been offered the chance to sign Rico Lewis from Man City, but Read is their top right-back target with numerous offers submitted to Feyenoord.
The Dutch club are standing firm by their valuation, but the 20-year-old has made it clear that he could push to leave the club amid interest from the Premier League.
Speaking in early July, he said: "To be honest, I don’t know what the future holds; it could go either way. I don’t know exactly what the situation is. That’s down to my agent. But I don’t need to lie about the fact that several clubs have shown interest."