A €30m Barcelona star is nearing a move to Nottingham Forest as the club edges closer to sealing the high-profile transfer.
With Hansi Flick reshaping the Catalan engine room, certain academy products have found their immediate path to regular first-team minutes heavily congested.
While lucrative escape routes outside Europe emerged as a quick financial fix for the club’s hierarchy, the player’s refusal to leave competitive European football has forced sporting director Deco to negotiate with established continental clubs.
This stance has tasked agent Jorge Mendes with finding a European suitor willing to meet Barcelona’s structural demands, leading Premier League side Nottingham Forest and Portuguese giants Benfica to emerge as the leading contenders for his signature.
The 22-year-old La Masia graduate at the center of the transfer battle is midfielder Marc Casadó.
According to reports from Diario Sport, Barcelona originally favored a simple €40 million proposal from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.
However, Marc Casadó firmly rejected the move to the Middle East, preferring to continue his development at the highest level in Europe.
Barcelona are demanding a fee in excess of €30 million for a permanent transfer, given the financial boost a homegrown sale provides for their La Liga registration limits.
Nottingham Forest previously held discussions for Casadó earlier in the window, and with the player’s future still unresolved, the City Ground hierarchy has re-entered negotiations to bolster their midfield options before the deadline.
For Barcelona, securing a clean, permanent sale remains the top priority to generate vital transfer margin.
As Jorge Mendes accelerates talks across England and Portugal, Nottingham Forest present a highly attractive Premier League platform for Casadó to showcase his technical quality and establish himself as a premier engine room presence.
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