These are the latest Nottingham Forest headlines brought to you by the Nottingham Post on June 5 2022...
Forest eye move for Manchester City defender
Nottingham Forest may have found the answer to any problems posed if they are unable to sign Djed Spence on a permanent deal. It is NottinghamshireLive's understanding that the Reds are tracking promising Manchester City right-back Issa Kabore with a view to a potential loan move.
The 21-year-old is coming off the back of an excellent season on loan in Ligue 1 with City's sister-club Troyes, where he played 31 times, as an attack-minded defender. He also helped Burkina Faso reach the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations, where he was named young player of the tournament after registering three assists.
Kabore was signed from Mechelen in 2020 after making just five first team appearances before being loaned back to the Belgian club. He has just completed another strong loan spell with Troyes but the path to the City first team is blocked by the imposing figures of Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo.
Transfer decision made over defensive duo
Nottingham Forest pair Mohamed Drager and Nicholas Ioannou appear to be poised for transfers away from the City Ground.
Drager, 25, has spent the past six months on-loan at Swiss side FC Luzern. The Tunisia international joined the Reds from fellow Evangelos Marinakis -owned outfit Olympiacos last summer, but has yet to get out on the pitch for Forest.
Ioannou, meanwhile, has spent the 2021/22 season at Italian outfit Como 1907.
NottinghamshireLive understands the pair will both be allowed to make permanent moves away from Trentside. Drager's loan move to FC Luzurn included an option-to-buy for the right-back. The Swiss side have yet to take Forest up on that option.
Aston Villa old boy sends Keinan Davis transfer message
Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis has been encouraged to sign for Nottingham Forest permanently although his Premier League quality has been questioned.
The 24-year-old forward has been at the City Ground on a temporary basis since January 2022 where he has played a key role in the Reds' promotion to the Premier League. He scored five goals and contributed two assists in 15 appearances as the Reds reached the top-flight for the first time in 23 years and he has since been linked with a £15m permanent move to Forest.
In an interview with Football Insider, former Villa defender Alan Hutton said the time is right for Davis to depart Villa Park.
The former Scotland international said: "I think it’s time for him to move on. It’s been difficult for him at Villa. He was outstanding at first, and showed real ability leading that line – but then injury kicked in. He was in and out a lot."
Forest squad value ahead of summer transfer window
Nottingham Forest's squad is currently estimated to be worth less than £50million.
That number is likely to increase massively this summer as owner Evangelos Marinakis vowed to Steve Cooper the "ammunition" to buy the players he needs in the transfer market. A number of players have already been linked, including Chelsea's Armando Broja and Wolves' Morgan Gibbs-White.
According to Transfermarkt, Forest's squad is valued at a combined amount of £47.52m, though many of their valuations will no doubt be called into question by the club and its supporters. The football website says the Reds' most valuable player is Brennan Johnson, worth £13.5m, followed in joint-second by Joe Worrall and Ryan Yates, each valued at £3.6m. Many would argue those three figures combined are less than what Johnson is worth alone.
Where Marinakis stands in wealth league table
Forest have just triumphed in a match dubbed the most lucrative in football, opening the door to all the glory and riches the Premier League has to offer.
But while promotion is said to lead to an increase in revenue of at least £135m over the next three seasons, that is a drop in the ocean compared to the wealth of many of the owners of top-flight teams. Amid a number of high-profile takeovers in recent times, there are some eye-watering figures.
Evangelos Marinakis has ploughed millions into the Reds since he bought the club five years ago. And he has said he will invest more, backing boss Steve Cooper in the transfer market, as Forest aim to establish themselves in the top tier.
With Fulham and Bournemouth also going up, and Roman Abramovich’s era at Chelsea at an end, the Shields Gazette has taken a look at every Premier League owner’s rumoured net worth ahead of the 2022/23 season. Here is their list.
1. Newcastle United. Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia - £320bn
2. Manchester City. Sheikh Mansour - £23.2bn
3. Chelsea. Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter, Hansjoerg Wys - £10.9bn
4. Fulham. Shahid Khan - £7.4bn
