Nott’m Forest make U-turn over Brazilian signing after Marinakis walks away from deal
Nottingham Forest have reportedly decided against making a move for Brazilian midfielder André Luiz in the January transfer window, with owner Evangelos Marinakis deciding to walk away from a potential deal.
Having splashed out more than £100million on new additions for Oliver Glasner over the summer, including the headline signings of Liam Delap, Ousmane Diomande and Daniel Munoz, money is expected to be made available again in the new year – if required.
However, another player who was on Forest’s radar was Corinthians star André Luiz, with club scouts said to have been impressed with the 20-year-old talent.
As per Sport Witness, Forest made a €12m (£10.4m) offer for André in August, only for Corinthians to reject it and send back a counterproposal.
READ: Morgan Gibbs-White open to stunning £125m Tottenham move on one condition
Discussions then followed, with intermediaries getting involved and talks held over different financial structures, but ultimately the window closed without anything being agreed.
However, there was still an anticipation that a potential deal could be resurrected in the winter window, as per reports from Brazil.
DON’T MISS: Morgan Gibbs-White reaches decision on joining Tottenham from Nott’m Forest amid new issue
Brazilian star’s agent shuts down Forest move talk
The latest information for the player’s homeland, though, has completely shut down any transfer for André to Forest, especially after the player’s agent, Diogo Silva, says Forest and Marinakis ultimately “chose” Gustavo Puerta instead.
The Colombian midfielder joined Forest for €16m (£13.9m) from Spanish side Racing Santander before heading straight to sister club Olympiacos, who are also owned by Marinakis, on loan.
The Greek club had actually also been interested in André, with both operations clearly led by Marinakis.
Puerta also plays in a similar position to André, and the latter’s agent claims that he is exactly why Forest have now pulled the plug on signing his client.
To that end, Corinthians are looking for new offers for André, potentially in January but more likely in the summer of 2027.
The report adds that England remains an attractive destination for the midfielder, with the Premier League seen as a good next step in his development.
READ NEXT: Premier League manager rankings: Is Michael Carrick doing an even worse job than Roberto De Zerbi?
André only recently returned to the Corinthians starting XI after recovering from a thigh injury and has scored five goals and laid on two assists from 37 appearances this season, starting 31 of those games.
Forest, meanwhile, are back in Premier League action on October 11 when they head to Crystal Palace, looking to bounce back from their demoralising home defeat to Coventry City last time out.
