Nottingham Forest close to signing 6.31 whizz who smashed Joao Moutinho's record

Nottingham Forest are expected to seal a £17.1million deal to sign Gustavo Sa in the coming days.

The Famalicao attacking midfielder has become one of the most promising players in Portugal in recent years after breaking into the first team.

Upon signing the 21-year-old, Forest are then expected to loan him out to Olympiacos ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Last season, the youngster made 32 appearances in the Portuguese top-flight, where he netted four goals and picked up two assists.

Sa could soon play a big part at Nottingham Forest in the forthcoming campaigns as he looks to reach his potential.

Below, Football Insider has revealed everything you need to know about Sa ahead of his expected transfer.

Who is Gustavo Sa?

Sa progressed through Famalicao’s academy from 2018 after previously being at Academia Elite Sport and Porto as a youngster.

He made his professional debut in August 2022, and scored his first goal in the first team three months later in the 3-1 victory over Gil Vicente.

From here, he firmly established himself in the first-team, despite his age, and would go on to make a minimum of 31 appearances in all competitions in each of the following campaigns.

In March 2026, he broke Joao Moutinho’s record as the youngest ever player to reach 100 games in the top division, aged 21 years, 3 months and 24 days.

On top of this, he has been a regular player for Portugal’s youth sides and currently has 15 caps for the Under 21s, and has netted two goals.

How good is Sa?

Last season, Sa boasted decent stats in all areas of the pitch in Portugal’s top flight.

According to Fotmob on 29 July, he averaged 0.13 goals, 1.46 shots, 0.07 assists, a 0.15 xA, 2.59 accurate long balls, 0.37 big chances created, 6.31 duels won, 1.93 aerial duels won and 2.39 fouls won per 90 minutes.

Therefore, if these stats can be improved on further, he could become a massive asset for Forest in years to come.

However, it remains to be seen how Sa develops over the coming years as Forest look to uncover the next bargain in the summer transfer window.