Millwall midfielder Zian Flemming has revealed he received an offer from Nottingham Forest in the summer prior to his move to The Den.
The 24-year-old spent two seasons at the Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard before completing the £1.7 million switch to London. The Dutchman has quickly established himself in Gary Rowett's team, starting in four of his side's seven games.
But it seems there could have had a different outcome had he not agreed to sign for the Lions, as other clubs chased his signature. Forest, who have had a rather busy summer by signing a total of 23 players, also had Flemming on their list of targets.
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"I was really ready for it, both athletically and mentally," Flemming told Dutch media outlet Voetbal Primeur. "It didn’t necessarily have to be England, there were several clubs interested.
"But a lot of English clubs applied and that is a sign though that my game fits well here and I am in demand. Nottingham Forest made an offer, but Huddersfield Town were also concrete in the winter, along with Millwall. And I could also go to Italy."
Fortuna were reluctant to sell the player despite all the interest. Technical director Sjoerd Ars said: "There was a lot of interest in Zian last year but then we kept him to his contract.
"Ultimately, Fortuna is a development club that has to sell players. It is great that we have value on the field again because that is an important revenue model for Fortuna.
"We have earned a lot of money from transfers in recent years. If we can keep up with that, at least we are doing well in that area."
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