Nottingham Forest ‘go all out’ in bid to smash transfer record

Nottingham Forest could be set to smash their transfer record with a £51 million acquisition but faces stiff opposition from Premier League and European heavyweights.

Website Fichajes says both Forest and Newcastle United have shown interest in Olympic Gold Medal midfielder Alex Baena from Villarreal. They say Forest will ‘go all out’ for the player.

The Reds have already made a bid of £22 million for Brentford striker Yoane Wissa and are anticipated to be busy in the last 10 days of the January transfer window.

The Premier League teams will need to persuade the 23-year-old to relocate to England rather than Germany, though, since Bayern Munich is also hoping to sign Baena in order to win the Bundesliga again under Vincent Kompany.

Baena, who plays for the Yellow Submarine as number 16, has eight caps from Spain in the last 16 months and has a £51 million release clause.

He started the 2024 Summer Games, scoring and helping to win the gold medal game against France, and had two appearances off the bench at EURO 2024.

Baena was in outstanding form the previous season, scoring five goals and dishing up eighteen assists for Villarreal in all competitions, including fourteen in La Liga. In 17 league games this season, he has four goals and five assists. He also scored in the team’s 4-0 victory over Mallorca yesterday night (January 20).
Spanish media outlets have hailed Baena as a “versatile player, effective as a dribbler, passer, and scorer” and have drawn comparisons to players such as Martin Odegaard, Julian Brandt, and Phil Foden.

The Trees have mostly relied on Chris Wood’s goals this season, as well as the ingenuity of wingers Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Morgan Gibbs-White has contributed four goals and four assists in midfield, and Elliot Anderson, a summer acquisition, has scored a goal and 5 assists