Nottingham Forest dealt setback in bid to sign 'incredible' wizard - but deal could still happen

Nottingham Forest‘s hope of securing the signing of Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar this summer have been dealt a blow following a fresh transfer update.

Of all the players who the Reds have been linked with signing in the summer transfer window, the 24-year-old is arguably the most exciting, given his reputation among some of the world’s most successful coaches.

He is someone who Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has described as ‘incredible’, with the Frenchman also registering 40 goals and 35 assists for Lyon in total.

Sadly, it now looks as though Forest’s chances of signing Aouar are decreasing, with an update suggesting that an agreement is far from happening, albeit not yet dead in the water.

According to But! Football Club [via Sport Witness], Forest’s offer for Aouar was deemed ‘simply unacceptable’ by Lyon, having ‘not offered better than €10m’ (£8.4m) to date.

However, it is added that talks have ‘not completely broken down’, giving the Reds some hope of still getting their man.

Forest signing Aouar would arguably feel like one of their most audacious pieces of transfer business in years, with the Lyon wizard someone who could provide genuine magic in the middle of the park.

His ability to open up defences and dictate midfield battles could give Steve Cooper’s side the edge in tight Premier League matches, helping them pull clear of the relegation zone.

Compared with positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the last 12 months (as per FBRef), Aouar ranks in the top 6% for passes into the final third, top 18% for progressive passes and top 11% for tackles in the middle third.

Alas, it may be time to look at a different option given this latest update, unless Forest are willing to stump up