Nottingham Forest have suffered a dent in their hopes of signing Sampdoria goalkeeper Emil Audero.
Forest reportedly reignited their interest in the player after missing out on new Tottenham arrival Guglielmo Vicario. He was linked with a move to Forest in the January transfer window, before the club instead signed Keylor Navas on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. Since then, Audero has continued to be linked with a move to the City Ground.
The 26-year-old is said to be available for £8.5million this summer following relegation to Serie B with Sampdoria. Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo is their new manager, but looks unlikely to be keeping hold of his number one.
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The Reds might now miss out on him too, with Inter, Juventus, Atalanta, Turin and Lazio among the teams interested, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via TuttoMercatoWeb). They also report that Fiorentina are 'strong' in the race and have planned a meeting with Sampdoria to discuss a transfer.
Forest head coach Steve Cooper is on the hunt for a new goalkeeper after Navas and Dean Henderson saw their loans come to an end. Forest are keen to re-sign Henderson, but Man United hold the cards over his future, prompting the Reds to keep their options open by looking elsewhere.
Audero was a rare bright spark for Sampdoria as they suffered relegation, making 84 saves in 25 league games as he looked to help his team avoid the inevitable.