Nottingham Forest add two exciting ‘targets’ to replace Anthony Elanga as well as Johan Bakayoko

Nottingham Forest are not stalling in their quest to replace Anthony Elanga, with Johan Bakayoko joined by two other targets on an initial shortlist.

With Elanga’s move to Newcastle United nearing completion, Evangelos Marinakis will know that finding the perfect replacement for Nuno Espírito Santo‘s squad will be his most important task of the summer.

Elanga’s 18-goal contributions last season put him behind only Chris Wood as Forest’s most influential attacker, but even then, the poacher owed plenty to Elanga’s creative ability.

To kickstart the search for a replacement, Forest have targeted Johan Bakayoko as a like-for-like alternative, but Nottingham Forest News can reveal that there are two other stars on the initial shortlist.

Nottingham Forest’s shortlist to replace Anthony Elanga takes shape

Given that Espírito Santo already wanted to sign two wingers, the recruitment team will already have players in mind that could suit his needs.

However, the direct Elanga replacement will need to be a level above the backup options already looked at to bolster the squad.

With this in mind, Nottingham Forest News understands that Johan Bakayoko is of interest to Forest as a potential replacement, in an early shortlist that also includes Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott.

Cuiabano also remains of interest, although his attacking strengths are more suited to the left side rather than the right.

Focusing on Bakayoko and Elliott, both would undoubtedly bring the ability to impact a game as much as Elanga, but the Liverpool star could change the way the Forest manager sets up his side.

Harvey Elliott would be an intriguing signing for Forest

Bakayoko would arrive at the City Ground as the perfect replacement for Elanga in terms of not needing to change anything for him to slot in and thrive.

However, there is no denying Elliott’s abilities as a creative orchestrator, and the recent U21 European Championships highlighted his knack for scoring goals as well.

	Appearances	Goals	Assists
Johan Bakayoko	46	12	3
Harvey Elliott	28	5	3

The basic statistics are also in favour of Bakayoko, but Elliott only started two league games for Liverpool last season so was unable to make the impact the football world knows he could’ve.

If it’s an identical profile that Espírito Santo wants then it’s hard to look past Bakayoko as Elanga’s ideal replacement. If the Portuguese manager is seeking a tweak to add more control to Forest’s game, though, Elliott could represent the perfect transfer opportunity.

Nottingham Forest return to ‘incredible’ former Steve Cooper target to replace Anthony Elanga

With Anthony Elanga edging closer to his move to Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest are lining up one of Steve Cooper’s old targets to replace him.

There was late talk that Aston Villa could hijack Newcastle’s Elanga move, but The Magpies look to have done enough to secure their long-term target.

The Elanga deal should total around £60m with the inclusion of bonuses, as Evangelos Marinakis stood firm in his valuation of the winger to force Newcastle into intense negotiations.

Of course, the focus will now turn to finding an adequate replacement, with one leading option already very familiar to the Forest recruitment team.

Nottingham Forest target Johan Bakayoko to replace Anthony Elanga

To replace Elanga, Forest would need to find a winger with electric pace, partnered with an ability to make the right decisions in the final third.

There is arguably no attainable winger who fits this bill better than PSV’s Johan Bakayoko, leading Forest to show an interest in his services.

A report by The Guardian said: “Forest will make the 22-year-old PSV winger Johan Bakayoko, who has been tracked by Borussia Dortmund and by rival Premier League clubs, a prominent target if Elanga departs.”

Ironically, Newcastle were also looking at Bakayoko as an alternative to Elanga, which only emphasises their similar profiles. Clearly, this is something that Forest are aware of, too, given that the club were interested in Bakayoko before even signing Elanga.

Nottingham Forest wanted Johan Bakayoko in 2022

It was Cooper who brought Elanga to the City Ground in 2023, but a year earlier, it was Bakayoko who was on the mind of the ex-Forest manager.

Cooper wanted Bakayoko in 2022 after securing promotion to the Premier League but the deal never materialised. Forest would then bid for Bakayoko in 2024, but he wanted to be at a club challenging for titles.

Hopefully, the upward trajectory of the club that was displayed last season will be enough to convince the Belgian of the move this time around, given how highly he is thought of by his teammates as well.