Nottingham Forest are aiming to get over the departure of midfielder Douglas Luiz with the potential arrival of Davide Frattesi from Inter Milan, according to reports.
Forest landed Luiz in the summer after his dreadful year at Juventus the season prior, and having excelled for Aston Villa in the Premier League previously under Unai Emery, it was expected to be a strong signing under Nuno Espirito Santo.
However, the two-time European champions have had three managers since, making it hard for Luiz to settle, igniting a fairytale return to Villa Park. And that could now see them land Frattesi as his replacement heading into the second half of the season.
Fabrizio Romano: Forest ‘Ask’ For Frattesi, Move is ‘Up to the Player’
A post by Fabrizio Romano on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday afternoon stated that Forest have asked for Frattesi from Inter on loan, with a potential buy option clause should they look to keep him at the City Ground.
Sean Dyche has lost numbers in midfield with the departure of Luiz, who has moved back to Aston Villa on loan after a paltry spell in the East Midlands, and Frattesi could be his replacement.
The final decision over a move will be up to the Italy international, who has become a regular fixture in the Azzurri’s side ever since making his national team debut back in 2022.
Frattesi, born in Rome, came through the youth systems at capital rivals Lazio and Roma before joining Sassuolo in 2017. Loan spells as Ascoli, Empoli and Monza all followed in Serie A, before the midfielder got his big break in 2021 for Sassuolo at the age of just 22.
11 goals from midfield across two seasons gave the elite Italian clubs a reason to land him, and that they did, with Inter signing Frattesi on loan with an obligation to buy him back in July 2023.
Becoming a clutch player for Inter, Frattesi has scored important goals such as derby day strikes, and notably helping them to the Champions League final with decisive goals in the quarter and semi-finals.
Forest Would be Adding a Serious Operator if Frattesi Joins
Forest already have glowing midfield talent, but landing Frattesi would propel them massively. Elliot Anderson is their first-choice midfielder, with Morgan Gibbs-White playing ahead of him. However, there has been a struggle for a regular midfield partner in both Ibrahim Sangare and Nicolas Dominguez.
With Luiz also departed and Ryan Yates failing to stamp his mark in the first-team, Frattesi would be the ideal partner for England star Anderson on both a technical and experienced level.
With almost 150 games at Serie A level, a further 26 in the Champions League and with two major trophies at Inter, Forest should be snapping their hands off to get a deal over the line if they are to edge away from Premier League relegation.