The explosive £17m Nottingham Forest wonderkid signing who could supercharge attack
Nottingham Forest have been linked with a transfer bid for a young striker whose goalscoring exploits are turning heads around Europe.
There are just three days remaining until the end of the summer transfer window but Nottingham Forest still have work to do – as manager Nuno Espirito Santo has pointed out – and the last week’s flurry of activity may not mark the end of their business.
A full-back appears to be Forest’s first priority but despite signing James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson and Arnaud Kalimuendo in recent days, a fresh rumour has them dipping back into the market for another forward: Franculino Djú, whose goalscoring exploits in Denmark have quickened scouts’ pulses across Europe.
Who is Franculino Djú – and why do Nottingham Forest want to sign him?
The primary source for the story seems to be Africa Foot, who claim that the 21-year-old Guinea-Bissau international has a long string of admirers ranging from Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United to Fiorentina and Bayer Leverkusen – but they reckon that it’s Forest who are at the front of the queue.
Djú was already beginning to attract attention for his impressive performances with FC Midtjylland before the summer, but an explosive run of eight goals in five league matches at the beginning of the current campaign, including a hat-trick against SønderjyskE, has seen his stock rise at precipitous pace. It looks increasingly probable that he will move before the window closes.
Djú is a product of Benfica’s youth academy who made the move to Denmark in 2023 and began earning first-team minutes almost immediately, scoring 33 goals across his first two campaigns in just 55 matches, many of them from the bench.
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A centre-forward with a precise finish, it’s not even his goalscoring which leaps off the tape first, but his adroit close control and his willingness to use a fine first touch both to bring awkward balls quickly under his spell and to twist and trick his way past defenders, even in the tightest spaces.
While not necessarily a graceful player to watch, Djú has the knack of moving the ball quickly and precisely between his feet and uses that technical quality to get the ball away from markers and into open space sharply, creating shooting chances where other forwards would lose the ball.
As is often the case with younger forwards, he can be guilty of overplaying at times and looking for chances to turn defenders inside out when a simple pass might be the better option, but there is no question that he has the skill to make the risks he takes worthwhile – and no doubt that he is a lethal finisher with a hugely impressive scoring rate.
Although not yet proven at the highest level – Djú has goals in Europe but wasn’t able to net against the tougher teams that Midtjylland faced in the Europa League last year – the Bissau-Guinean looks the part. It’s scarcely surprising that so many teams seem to want to take a chance on him.
Will Forest sign Djú before the transfer window closes?
Of course, just because Forest are interested doesn’t mean that they will go through with a bid, and while Africa Foot claim that the club have “accelerated negotiations” with their Danish counterparts in recent days, they stop short of suggesting that a formal offer has been made.
Midtjylland supposedly value Djú at €20m (£17m) minimum, and while the report comes after the arrivals of McAtee, Hutchinson and Kalimuendo, it’s certainly possible that their interest will dwindle after making attacking purchases from elsewhere.
Since signing Kalimuendo, Forest now have three recognised centre-forwards on the books already and Djú might find his minutes limited in a system which typically only features one out-and-out striker – although it’s possible that Forest envision a deal in which he spends the rest of the season on loan, perhaps back at Midtjylland or with sister club Olympiacos.
Forest are more invested in signing a right-back to compete with Ola Aina and have been linked with both Lutsharel Geertruida and Matty Cash, and if transfer funds are dwindling then it could be that a move for Djú becomes too low of a priority.
In short, there are a lot of good reasons for Forest to hold their powder and let one of the youngster’s many other suitors take the plunge – but the reports suggest that it’s Forest making moves towards a deal, and there is time to get it done before the window closes.