Nottingham Forest close to signing Real Betis defender Alex Moreno

Nottingham Forest are close to making Real Betis full-back Alex Moreno their 13th signing of the summer.

Moreno, 29, has been a long-term target for the Premier League newcomers, who lost their opening game of the season 2-0 at Newcastle on Saturday. Forest hope to complete the move before their first Premier League game at the City Ground in 23 years, against West Ham, on Sunday.

He will be the third left wing-back signed by the club this summer following the arrival of Omar Richards, who is out with a leg fracture, from Bayern Munich and Harry Toffolo from Huddersfield.

The Spaniard was part of Barcelona’s academy but did not make an appearance for the club. He enjoyed spells with Real Mallorca and Rayo Vallecano before joining Betis in 2019.

Forest have overhauled their squad following promotion back to the top flight. They will not end their business with Moreno. They are still in the market for a number of players; they had an offer for Morgan Gibbs-White rejected last week. They are looking to strengthen in midfield with Atalanta’s Remo Freuler one of a number of targets for Steve Cooper.

The club is also trying to bolster experience off the pitch by bringing in Lee Charnley, the former Newcastle managing director, as a consultant to help with its business operations.