Nottingham Forest are now preparing a move to sign a midfielder likened to Claude Makelele – and he wants to join.
The Garibaldi have made a habit of shopping in Portugal across recent years, signing the likes of Odysseas Vlachodimos and Rodrigo Ribeiro from the Primeira Liga.
Now, another player from Portugal’s top-flight could join Nottingham Forest…
Nottingham Forest well positioned to sign Florentino Luis
A story from Correio da Manhã in Portugal now claims that Nottingham Forest are preparing a “strong move” to sign Benfica No.61 Florentino Luis.
We recently covered a report from Record which mentioned initial interest from the Reds.
Now, those on the recruitment team at the City Ground are seemingly ready to accelerate a push to sign Luis – who sounds keen to make negotiations run smoothly.
The Portuguese news outlet believe the 24-year-old wants to join Nottingham Forest as he is eager to play in the Premier League.
Furthermore, Correio da Manhã mention that Luis is not a guaranteed starter under Roger Schmidt at Benfica, which increases his chances of an exit even more.
Nuno Espirito Santo could be handed Claude Makelele 2.0
One position Nottingham Forest lack is a truly destructive, ball winning midfielder who looks to spoil things for the opposition, before moving possession onto Nuno Espirito Santo’s more attack minded options.
Now – however – Evangelos Marinakis could deliver that exact player to the Portuguese tactician, as Luis has actually been compared to Makelele, arguably the greatest defensive midfielder of all time.
It was Joao Tralhao – former Youth Coach at Benfica – who made the comparison, telling Goal: “He has the talent and quality to play in elite teams. Remember when Real Madrid had the Galacticos? They needed someone to balance the team, and Makelele was so important.”
The Frenchman was so effective at his job that the No.6 position even became known as The Makelele Role for many years.
READ MORE: Nottingham Forest could bring player who left the City Ground in 2019 back this summer
Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as Nottingham Forest seem to be in a strong position to sign Luis this summer.
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