West Ham United might have got four new signings through the door in the space of three weeks, but Nottingham Forest remain the Premier League’s recruitment pacesetters.
Not even Chelsea – Alejandro Garnacho could become the 50th new face at Stamford Bridge in just four years if he joins from Manchester United – can compete with the relentless churn of the City Ground outfit.
Nottingham Forest signed 17 players in the 2023/24 season alone. A staggering 30 came a year earlier.
And, after spending around £170 million on a further 13 additions last summer, the two-time European champions were always likely to become central protagonists once again as deadline day looms.
Of the four players reportedly closing in on moves to the City Ground, meanwhile, three have been mentioned in conjunction with West Ham United too this summer.
James McAtee has been linked with West Ham throughout 2025. The Daily Mail reported that Ipswich winger Omari Hutchison had become a target too.
And then there is Douglas Luiz. Former Aston Villa captain Gabby Agbonlahor labelled Luiz a potentially ‘outstanding’ addition to Graham Potter’s ranks but, like McAtee, Hutchinson and Rennes forward Arnaud Kalimuendo, all rivers lead to the Trent.
West Ham United-linked James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson head to Nottingham Forest
Sky Sports claim that Nottingham Forest will invest a combined £67.5 million on McAtee and Hutchinson.
A deal for the Manchester City benchwarmer has been agreed – Forest will hope for a Cole Palmer-like explosion away from the Etihad – while Hutchinson is expected to join another member of England’s Under-21 European Championship-winning squad at the City Ground.
Sky add that Forest have also held discussions with Juventus and Rennes over Douglas Luiz and Kalimuendo respectively. Should those talks also go to plan, the Europa League-bound outfit could bring four new players, four high-quality, high-cost players, in the blink of an eye.
West Ham, in contrast, can only dream of moving with such speed.
Konstantinos Mavropanos sale could help West Ham land Mateus Fernandes
Despite signing Mads Hermansen, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Callum Wilson and Kyle Walker-Peters all between mid-June and August 9th, further reinforcements may have to wait until funds are made available to Graham Potter.
Southampton rejected West Ham’s £30 million Mateus Fernandes bid this week. The Saints want closer to £50 million.
A fee which may prove impossible to reach unless a buyer can be found for Nayef Aguerd, Emerson Palmieri or Edson Alvarez, to name but three.
The good news is that Villarreal are interested in Konstantinos Mavropanos, though El Periodico Mediterraneo insist that there are currently no plans to meet the Greek giant’s £17 million asking price.
The aforementioned Fernandes is currently West Ham’s priority midfield target. Douglas Luiz was another considered but, according to the Daily Mail, his alleged £140,000 pay-packet was a substantial obstacle.
Not for Forest, though, it seems.
The Mail add that a further £26 million will be spent on Kalimueno. Interestingly, Kalimueno was linked with West Ham when at PSG during the summer of 2022.
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