Nottingham Forest will have to pay £26 million for Allan Saint-Maximin to tempt Newcastle United into selling.
That is according to Gianluca Di Marzio, via Daily Express, who claim the Magpies have placed this valuation on him amid interest from Serie A side AC Milan. Saint Maximin's representatives are said to have held talks with the Rossoneri, but at this stage, they would be unable to meet the current asking price.
Forest are among the teams to have been linked with the Frenchman this month, with the Telegraph reporting Steve Cooper's side enquired about his availability during talks over a deal for Chris Wood. Wood, of course, made the switch to the City Ground from Newcastle last week on an initial loan deal.
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Despite Newcastle's superb campaign so far, it has been a tough season on a personal level for Saint-Maximin. He has started just four league games so far this term, with the last of those coming away at Wolves in August, where he netted his only goal of the campaign.
The 25-year-old struggled with injuries for almost two months of the season and so manager Eddie Howe has looked to gradually ease him back into the fold, with Newcastle performing excellent anyway. However, with Anthony Gordon potentially on his way in, it remains to be seen whether that could affect Saint-Maximin's future.
While Forest's name has only briefly been linked with the Frenchman, Cooper is currently sweating on the fitness of key man Morgan Gibbs-White. He went off injured 17 minutes from time against Manchester United on Wednesday, and any long-term to blow to him could see Forest enter the market for more creativity.
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