The £40m blockbuster midfield gem signing who could take Nottingham Forest to the next level

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has done an impressive job since taking over at The City Ground. He has also managed the likes of Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur in the past and things have clicked for him. The Reds will be playing in the Europa League next season.

They need to ensure that they are ready for the increased number of fixtures that will be coming their way. Nuno has the chance to bring in some new signings this summer. He also has the opportunity to let some players head out the exit door should he wish to.

Nottingham Forest should target Julio Enciso

According to journalist Christian Martin via Versus, Brighton and Hove Albion attacker Julio Enciso could be made available for transfer over the next couple of months for a fee in the region of £40 million. If this is the case, he would be ideal for Nottingham Forest. He can play down the middle behind the striker or on either flank.

Enciso, 21, appears to be up for grabs so getting him out of the AMEX Stadium shouldn’t be too difficult if his price tag is matched. The lure of European football makes the Reds an attractive proposition to sign for in this window. In addition, they may well have a vacancy to fill if in-demand Morgan Gibbs-White leaves.

Repoter Martin has said: “The club is listening to offers. We’ll have to see how much they pay. I think the figure could reach £30 or £40 million. That’s a huge amount for a young player who has really performed well since he was loaned out in July.”

Brighton let Enciso spend the last campaign on loan at Ipswich Town to get some experience under his belt and boost his development. Although it was a tough term for the Tractor Boys on the pitch, he will have learnt a lot from his time at Portman Road. He made 13 appearances in all competitions under the guidance of Kieron McKenna and he chipped in with two goals.

Why Julio Enciso would suit Nottingham Forest as Morgan Gibbs-White replacement

Enciso would give Nottingham Forest more competition and depth in attacking areas. If he joined, he would give them something different to call upon in games as well. He is still young, has bags of potential and would be a useful long-term option.

The Paraguay international, who has 27 caps to his name, started out in his native country at Libertad. He rose up through their academy ranks and was a regular at various different youth levels. The prospect then broke into their first-team as a youngster and went on to play 74 matches altogether, finding the net on 25 occasions.

Brighton then used their effective scouting network to identify him as a target and they snapped him up in 2022. Enciso made the bold decision to leave South America despite his tender age and has since played 57 games for the Seagulls, scoring four times. He remains under the terms of a long-term deal in Sussex.

That means that his current club are under no pressure to sell him anytime soon and can wait for their valuation of around £40m to be met. Like any player from abroad, it initially took him time to adapt. He may feel his career has stalled a little bit so a change of scene would do him good.

Nottingham Forest could offer him the platform to show what he can do and prove a point. He needs to go somewhere he is guaranteed to get regular action. The Reds being in Europe will mean they need a big squad and he will have plenty of opportunities to get minutes.

Nuno may have been slightly disappointed to miss out on the Champions League. His team were in the top five for large chunks of last term but just weren’t able to get over the line in the end after their form slumped. Nevertheless, the fact they were annoyed they didn’t do it shows how far they have come over the past few years. They were in the Championship as recently as 2022 before Steve Cooper guided them back up to the big time through the play-offs.