The date of June 30 has always been seen as significant for Nottingham Forest, and it is rapidly coming. The end of the month marks the deadline for the next Profitability and Sustainability Rules assessment cycle. The Reds are well aware of the implications of breaking the rules, having been penalized four points last season for doing so.
They do not wish to replicate the scenario in 2024/25. Earlier this year, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo spoke about the importance of learning lessons from ensuring that the books are balanced. That is the motivation for Moussa Niakhate’s sale to Lyon. The looming PSR deadline has undoubtedly accelerated his transfer to France. The defender joined Forest from Mainz for almost £13 million two years ago. His contract at the City Ground was only for another year – albeit the club had the option to extend it for another 12 months – so cashing in now makes financial sense.
Getting a deal completed by June 30 would have been a priority. This is likely to have repercussions, particularly for Murillo. The Brazilian has many of suitors, including Chelsea and Juventus, who have previously shown their interest. Niakhate’s sale should alleviate any concerns about having to explore a low-cost deal for Murillo to obtain finances before the PSR deadline.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the contract for Niakhate to move to France was “sealed directly” between the two club’s presidents (in Forest’s case, Evangelos Marinakis) for a sum of £20 million, but there has been some disagreement about the price tag among other reports. According to Foot Mercato, Crystal Palace and Lille were also interested in the centre-back but fell short of signing him. Orel Mangala may have played a role in how events unfolded. Foot Mercato explains that Niakhate chose Lyon based on the “good advice” of his former Forest teammate.
Mangala spent the second half of the season on loan with the Ligue 1 club. His move there is getting close to being permanent. According to the Telegraph, Niakhate and Mangala’s sales “should be enough” for the Reds to escape another PSR breach. It was previously said that the club needed to generate almost £20 million in profit by the end of this month to meet their allowable deficits. More exits are expected in the following weeks, but some may occur later. If anyone expected a massive clearout before the end of June to comply with PSR, it seems unlikely today.
Selling school graduate Joe Worrall, for example, would be classified as 100 percent pure profit under PSR. However, Niakhate’s exit should alleviate some of the pressure to move players along. Worrall is still expected to depart this summer. Sheffield United has expressed interest, but because the club’s potential takeover is still in the works, any interest is unlikely to be pursued until that situation is resolved. Goalkeepers Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos might potentially go, with Carlos Miguel slated to join Corinthians as part of a goalkeeping rearrangement. Turner is thought to have attracted interest from the MLS.
Forest will also seek to move others on, either on loan or on permanent contracts, as reducing numbers is a priority this summer. Emmanuel Dennis, Josh Bowler, Hwang Ui-jo, Alex Mighten, Jonathan Panzo, and Lewis O’Brien have all returned from loan periods, but their futures at City Ground remain unknown.
