Forget Morgan Gibbs-White - Nottingham Forest have a £25m thrilling young winger in their sights

Nottingham Forest have only one priority at this stage of the summer transfer window – sell, sell, sell and pray that they raise enough ready cash to dodge another points deduction for breaking the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. That means that some of Forest’s most exciting players, emerging stars like Morgan Gibbs-White and Murillo, are very likely to leave in the near future. Fortunately for the City Ground faithful, it may not be all bad news for long.

While the rumour mill has focussed almost exclusively on likely outgoings, Sport Witness have picked up on some reports which suggest that Forest have “already made a bid” for Real Betis’ promising young right winger Assane Diao, the 18-year-old who exploded onto the Spanish scene back in the autumn with a stunning debut goal.

Diao has been linked with a long line of possible suitors since then, ranging from Barcelona to Brentford, with the only certainty about his immediate future being that a lot of clubs wanted to have a chat with him. Now Forest seem to be on the waiting list as well – and it may not be such a far-fetched transfer rumour despite the links with bigger and wealthier sides.

That’s partly because Diao has struggled for form since the turn of the year. He marked his senior debut for Betis with a magnificent goal against Granada at the end of September, blasted with breathtaking power off of his unfavoured left foot and inside the near post from the edge of the area, and followed that up with a goal against Valencia and another in the Europa League against Sparta Prague – but after that remarkable start to his professional career, things have stalled a little.

He failed to get going after Christmas and not long after an especially poor performance against Barcelona in which he managed just two passes and persistently failed to beat defenders on the run, he lost his place in the starting eleven and has barely been seen on the pitch since February. That downturn has understandably cooled some clubs’ interest a little, but one bad run as a teenager hardly indicates the end of a career. There is a lot of potential there.

Diao, who was born in Senegal but now represents Spain at age group level and is now set to represent his adopted country and the European Under-19 Championship this summer, has a lot of impressive qualities beyond immense shooting power. He’s a direct, dangerous dribbler who can shift through the gears quickly and has demonstrated some excellent movement off the ball, getting into half spaces in wide areas and between defenders and offering a constant outlet for quick passes.

He's also exceptionally hard-working out of possession and presses hard from the first whistle to the last, generating huge numbers of turnovers for a forward and often getting right back to his own box to defend while still having the energy to get back up towards the final third for a counter-attack.

There are still rough edges to polish, as is almost always the case with teenage forwards – he seems to have lost confidence after his superb initial run in the team and let that affect his finishing, and he also doesn’t create enough for his team-mates, almost invariably trying to beat his man on the dribble rather than passing. That makes him electric at his best but a little frustrating at his worst.

But then again, he seems to have the ability to blow defences apart on his day and Forest have a certain track record with similar players who can win games by themselves but aren’t necessarily models of consistency – Gibbs-White himself, for starters, and Brennan Johnson could both be argued to fit the bill.

The question is whether he would cost so much that he needs to be able to offer attacking returns immediately. It has been reported in the Spanish media that his current release clause is set at €15m (£12.7m) but that Betis have an option in the deal to double that amount if they also double his base salary. Essentially, his club can force clubs to fork out around £25m if they want, and for a club with some pressing financial concerns that’s a lot of money to spend on a player who may need a couple of years to develop into a Premier League-level player, or at least a player who can perform at the top flight week in, week out. Diao is exciting, but his 2024 form has proven that he is not there yet.

Forest are right to be keeping tabs on his progress and if they can find a price point which suits them, he could be a fine long-term investment who can replace some of the dynamism and explosiveness they will miss when Gibbs-White goes – and that they already missed last season after Johnson moved to Tottenham Hotspur. But Diao will need patience and good coaching to reach his full potential, and if Forest must find a player who will score and set up goals now, rather than a few years down the line, this might be a deal they should put on the back burner. One day, however, there is a very good chance that Diao ends up as a thrilling and hugely productive player.