Nottingham Forest agree to sign ex- Fulham player as he arrives for medical

Nottingham Forest are close to completing the signing of goalkeeper Steven Benda after he agreed terms, sources have told Football Insider.

The 27-year-old is now set to undergo a medical at Forest on Friday as both parties look to wrap up the deal.

Benda is currently a free agent after his contract expired at Fulham at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

The goalkeeper is expected to be a back-up at the East Midlands club in the upcoming season, with Matz Sels being the number one.

If all goes through, Benda will become Forest’s fourth first-team signing of the summer.

Despite signing for Fulham in 2023, the goalkeeper never made a Premier League appearance for the club and spent most of last season out on loan.

Who is Steven Benda?

Benda originally joined Swansea City in 2017, where he progressed through their academy.

In the 2019-20 campaign, he would make his professional debut while out on loan at Swindon Town, where he helped the club win the League Two title.

Upon returning to Swansea, he became the club’s back-up goalkeeper and made eight appearances across the following two campaigns.

Following a loan move to Peterborough United, he became Swansea’s number one goalkeeper for the 2022-23 campaign and made 23 appearances before a knee injury ended his campaign.

In 2023, he moved to Fulham, but did not make his first-team debut for the club until the 2024-25 campaign.

Last season, he was loaned out to both Millwall and Feyenoord, where he made a combined 12 appearances for both clubs.

Now, John Percy has reported that Forest are closing in on the signing of Benda ahead of the new 2026-27 campaign.

Who else could Nottingham Forest sign this summer?

Football Insider has exclusively revealed that Nottingham Forest are well-placed to hijack a potential deal for Celtic’s Arne Engels.

The midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to West Ham United in recent weeks, with the club seeing two bids rejected.

Forest have been long-term admirers of the 22-year-old and saw two offers turned down by the Hoops in the winter window.

Now, the East Midlands club could be tempted to make a move for the midfielder as West Ham struggle to get a deal over the line.