Nottingham Forest now seriously keen on signing £84m star after making summer bid

Nottingham Forest remain very interested in signing a one-cap Brazil international, after making a bid during the summer transfer window.

The Tricky Trees are starting to look ahead to future transfer windows, having endured a difficult start to the Oliver Glasner era, with the Austrian collecting just five points from his opening seven Premier League matches.

Most recently, Glasner’s side came up short in a narrow 1-0 defeat at home against reigning champions Arsenal, with Noni Madueke bagging a late winner for the visitors, and the result means Forest are now inside the relegation zone, sitting in 18th place.

Of course, defeating the Gunners was always going to be a tall order, but failing to score yet again may be a big concern for Glasner, given that his side are yet to score at the City Ground in the Premier League this season.

Despite the result, Glasner was pleased with what his side produced from a defensive point of view, albeit Matz Sels didn’t make a save in the entire match, with Arsenal scoring from their only shot on target.

Sels has started every match for Forest in the Premier League this season, picking up just one assist, but considering the Belgian is now 34-years-old, it may be time to start thinking about bringing in a replacement.

Otavio could be signed as long-term Sels replacement

According to a report from Fussball News, Nottingham Forest are now seriously keen on signing Otavio, after making a bid for the Cruzeiro goalkeeper during the summer transfer window.

At just 20-years-old, the youngster’s experience in senior football is limited, which means he may be regarded as a long-term replacement for Sels, although he received his first cap for Brazil last month, starting in a 4-2 friendly victory against Australia.

Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund have also entered the race for the Brazilian’s signature, but Cruzeiro are hesitant to sanction a departure, and they are in a strong position, having inserted a €100m (£84m) release clause into his contract.

Carlo Ancelotti was the man that handed the starlet his first Brazil cap, after which he was lauded as a “monster” for his performances at club level by one journalist.

Since emerging as Cruzeiro’s first-choice goalkeeper, Otavio has kept eight clean sheets in 33 appearances, and he made three saves, including one from inside the box, in a 2-0 victory against Sao Paulo earlier this month.

Cassio has spoken very fondly of his Cruzeiro teammate too, saying: “He has a tactical and technical side that he does very well. I think he’ll get along very well with Taffarel, who worked with Alisson and Ederson. I see him (Otávio) as having a goalkeeper profile like them: technical and hardworking.”