Nottingham Forest have had a deal worth £30.2m rejected by Strasbourg for their French forward Dilane Bakwa.
The 22-year-old is keen to move to the City Ground and remains optimistic the transfer can be revived.
Forest’s offer was £23.7m plus £6.5m in add-ons, but Strasbourg want an initial fee of at least £30m along with add-ons.
Bakwa has 11 goals and 20 assists in 69 matches for Strasbourg – a club with the same BlueCo ownership as Chelsea – since arriving from Bordeaux in 2023.
Premier League newcomers Leeds and Sunderland have also shown interest in the France Under-21 international, who can play on the wing or up front.
Forest’s bid comes amid uncertainty over manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s future.
The 51-year-old admitted on Friday his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis had “changed” and they “are not as close”.
Much of the unhappiness stems from the summer’s transfer activity despite eight players joining the club this summer.
They include winger Dan Ndoye – who started the 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday – forwards James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, Arnaud Kalimuendo and midfielder Douglas Luiz.
However, Nuno wants to sign another goalkeeper and two full-backs to strengthen his squad, with the club also competing in the Europa League.
Sources have told BBC Sport that Nuno’s position is not completely safe despite last season’s achievement of finishing seventh in the table and qualifying for Europe. The uncertainty, according to sources, has now stretched to the playing squad.
Forest host West Ham in their next Premier League game on Sunday.
