Nottingham Forest have reportedly moved to the brink of signing Vitoria de Guimaraes winger Jota Silva.
The East Midlands outfit are currently going through the process of making major changes to their first-team squad for the 2024-25.
Nuno Espirito Santo has added to his goalkeeping, defending and midfield ranks over the past five weeks, as well as the club recouping over £50m for several players who were not regarded as first choice.
A report on Tuesday indicated that a further two more players had been made available for transfer, which would free up space in the squad and on the wage bill.
Nevertheless, it appears that club officials are ready to press ahead with adding to their numbers, this time in the final third.
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Portugal international en route to City Ground
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Forest have been negotiating a deal for Silva, who has earned international recognition this year.
Substitute outings were provided against each of Sweden and Slovenia without convincing Roberto Martinez that he should be selected for Euro 2024.
However, his form for Vitoria has been superb, the 24-year-old contributing 20 goals and 11 assists from his 83 appearances in all competitions.
Without mentioning a transfer fee, Romano says that agreement is at its 'final stages' and is expected to be finalised in due course.
With Silva having just one year remaining on his contract, Vitoria are in a position where they are keen to raise a substantial fee for their key man.
Eleven strikes and six assists came in the Primeira Liga during 2023-24, while he scored the only goal of the game as Vitoria defeated Floriana in the first leg of their Europa Conference League second qualifying round tie last week.
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Would Silva challenge for a regular starting spot?
Although Silva has only made 63 outings in top-flight football, his return of 13 goals and eight assists for a team outside of the established top four is an impressive feat.
In Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi, Nuno is not short of options on the flanks, with Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi the standout picks down the middle.
Silva is capable of playing all across the forward line, though, and would likely become a valuable asset to Forest.
Darren Plant
