Nottingham Forest take a step closer to Yoane Wissa after Tottenham twist

Yoane Wissa is a live target for a number of Premier League sides, but Tottenham’s stance on a move for the Brentford man may have given Nottingham Forest a leg up.

Nottingham Forest News revealed that Wissa will be available for less than £40m, but his exit from Brentford is closely linked with Bryan Mbeumo’s potential move to Manchester United.

Brentford won’t want to lose both of their top stars, but it hasn’t stopped sides queuing up for their signatures, with Newcastle United registering an interest in Wissa to potentially thwart Forest’s hopes.

However, it was revealed that Wissa’s preferred move would be to Tottenham to reunite with Thomas Frank, but the North London side don’t seem too keen on the deal themselves.

Tottenham cool interest in Brentford’s Yoane Wissa

Predictably, once Frank’s move to Tottenham was confirmed, Wissa was linked with Spurs along with Mbeumo, but the move for the Congolese international forward looked to have more legs to it.

However, according to a new report by GIVEMESPORT, Spurs are reluctant to turn their interest into a concrete move for Wissa.

The report said: “Tottenham have made a surprise decision by choosing not to sign Wissa, according to GMS sources, and that has allowed Newcastle to up the ante in their pursuit.

 

“GMS sources have been informed that Tottenham had been expected to enter the race for Wissa, who enjoyed a productive 2024/25 campaign at the Gtech Community Stadium, but they have not formalised their interest.”

Wissa has been at the centre of Forest’s transfer business since the interest first sparked in January, with two failed bids highlighting Evangelos Marinakis’ persistence.

However, even with Spurs out of the question, Brentford’s stubborn stance on Wissa looks to be the main hurdle for Forest to jump over.

Brentford look set to hold firm amid Yoane Wissa interest

It’s already clear that Brentford are stubborn negotiators, given their reluctance to accept any bid from Man United for Bryan Mbeumo that doesn’t give them a significant chunk of the fee upfront.

However, United do look to be getting closer to agreeing a fee, which will make negotiating with Brentford for Wissa a problem.

According to talkSPORT: “Brentford are ready to rebuff all offers for Yoane Wissa following Manchester United’s latest bid for Bryan Mbeumo.”

Forest will undoubtedly remain in the race for Wissa unless the player himself commits to staying at Brentford, but other targets may need to be prioritised to avoid a situation where Wissa becomes too difficult to prise away.

Nottingham Forest outcast set for League One escape after zero appearances in three years

As well as incoming signings, Nottingham Forest will want to clear out space in Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad to make room for the added quality.

To kick off the clear-out, Forest sold Ramon Sosa to Palmeiras after just a year at the City Ground, reflecting that the winger never quite settled in European football.

There have also been attempts to sell goalkeeper Matt Turner, but Turner’s move to Lyon stalled as the French side dealt with their financial irregularities.

Some deals just make sense for all parties, though, and Nottingham Forest News understands that one forgotten member of the Forest squad is set for a much-needed exit from the club.

Reading set to sign forgotten Nottingham Forest man

The summer transfer window of 2022 saw Steve Cooper bring in 22 players to build a squad capable of competing at Premier League level.

Of course, such an influx will have inevitably meant that not all the deals would work out, with Josh Bowler’s transfer from Blackpool a prime example.

After not a single competitive appearance for Forest in three years, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has told Nottingham Forest News that Bowler is very close to completing a move to League One Reading FC.

The move is set to be a permanent one, a welcome relief for all involved, as the 26-year-old has been limited to loan switches since 2022, none of which have been profitable on the pitch.

Josh Bowler was never handed a chance at Nottingham Forest

Bowler arrived at Forest on the back of scoring seven goals in the Championship for Blackpool in the previous season. By no means a bad return, but not one that suggested he was ready to step up to Premier League football.

Marinakis clearly felt this way as rather than arriving at the City Ground, Bowler was immediately sent on loan to Olympiacos without even conducting an interview with the club.