Transfer Centre

Nottingham Forest 'set to complete £15m Neal Maupay deal'

By Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter | 15 August 2022

Nottingham Forest are reportedly closing in on the signing of Brighton & Hove Albion striker Neal Maupay in a deal worth around £15m plus add-ons.

Nottingham Forest are reportedly closing in on the signing of Brighton & Hove Albion striker Neal Maupay in a deal worth around £15m.

Steve Cooper has experienced a hectic summer transfer window, with 15 new players arriving at the City Ground since their promotion from the Championship in May.

Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis are two strikers who have joined the club, the latter of whom arriving from Watford for around £20m on Saturday.

However, Cooper is looking to bolster his squad further before the September 1 deadline as they bid to maintain their Premier League status.

"We have signed a lot of players and will continue to do that," Cooper told reporters via the Daily Telegraph.

"We're nowhere near finished in terms of players coming in and going. The quicker you can get your group together, before the transfer window shuts, the better, of course.

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper celebrates on August 14, 2022 © Reuters

"But this is the situation we're in. We're not looking at it as a negative, it's part of the journey that we're on this season."

Following a report from journalist Mike McGrath, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims that Forest are set to sign 26-year-old Maupay in a deal worth an initial £15m plus add-ons.

Romano adds that Maupay has agreed to put pen to paper on a four-year contract, keeping him tied to the City Ground until the summer of 2026.

Maupay has spent the last three years at Brighton since joining the club from Brentford in 2019 for around £14m.

The Frenchman has recorded 27 goals and seven assists in 109 appearances for the Seagulls across all tournaments and has been the club's top scorer in each of the last three Premier League campaigns, finding the net eight times in 32 top-flight matches last season.

Maupay had previously been linked with a potential move to Serie A outfit Salernitana, who allegedly tabled a £15m bid for the striker last month, but Forest now appear to have won the race for his signature.

Brighton & Hove Albion's Neal Maupay celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on January 8, 2022 © Reuters

Maupay, who has just 12 months remaining on his contract at the Amex Stadium, was an unused substitute in Brighton's 2-1 victory at Manchester United, and was then left out of the matchday squad for Saturday's goalless draw with Newcastle United amid uncertainty over his future.

It remains to be seen whether Brighton will attempt to find a replacement for Maupay in the final two-and-a-half weeks of the transfer window, as head coach Graham Potter has four other forward options already at his disposal.

Danny Welbeck and Leandro Trossard are both regarded as key assets under Potter, while new recruits Deniz Undav and Julio Enciso – the former joining the club in January and the latter arriving earlier this summer – are both set to provide competition in the final third.

Meanwhile, Forest are also interested in signing midfielders Houssem Aouar and James Garner from Lyon and Manchester United respectivley.

Sky Sports News claims that a deal for Aouar is close, while Forest are keeping tabs on Garner's situation at Old Trafford as the Red Devils are allegedly willing to cash in on the 21-year-old, who spent last season on loan at the City Ground.