Nottingham Forest are said to be among a number of clubs eyeing Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia.
The Senegal international is on loan at the Italian side from Villarreal, and they have an option to turn his move into a permanent one at the end of the campaign. However, Dia is attracting plenty of interest, particularly from teams in the Premier League.
According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, the Reds “tested the ground” for Dia in the summer - as did West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur. It is said Forest and the Hammers are still keen on the forward, with Leeds United now in the picture, too.
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Dia has bagged five goals and registered two assists in 11 Serie A matches for his loan club, and Salernitana president Danilo Iervolino is expected to splash out 12m euros (£10m) to secure his signature next summer.
But it is claimed he then plans to “put him up for auction” and has designs on “earning at least 16m to 17m euros (£13.7m-£14.6m)” from the sale. The player is said to “dream of playing in England”, but Gazzetta report there would likely be competition from Serie A teams if he is made available.
Forest brought in 22 players during the summer as they prepared for the step up to the top-flight - albeit three of the signings immediately went out on loan. Getting his new-look group to gel has proved a tough task for boss Steve Cooper, however.
And goals have also been particularly hard to come by. The bottom-of-the-table Reds have the second-worst record for finding the net so far, having scored eight times in 13 games - behind only Wolverhampton Wanderers (six goals in 13 games).
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