Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has received a clear message over the future of Steve Cooper following links to former Athletic Bilbao boss Marcelino Garcia Toral.
Reports in Spain claim that the manager has ‘turned down’ an offer from Forest to "immediately" replace Cooper at the helm. It is said that the Spanish coach only wanted to take on a new role at the end of the season.
Cooper is a popular figure among Forest fans, with the Welshman leading the club to the Premier League for the first time in over 20 years last season. He has found his job at the City Ground under pressure at times this season, but was given a new contract back in October.