Nottingham Forest eye move for Manchester City defender as Djed Spence alternative

Nottingham Forest are tracking promising Manchester City right-back Issa Kabore with a view to a potential loan move.

The 21-year-old is coming off the back of an excellent season on loan in Ligue 1 with City's sister-club Troyes, where he played 31 times, as an attack-minded defender. He also helped Burkina Faso reach the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations, where he was named young player of the tournament after registering three assists.

Kabore was signed from Mechelen in 2020 after making just five first team appearances before being loaned back to the Belgian club. He has just completed another strong loan spell with Troyes but the path to the City first team is blocked by the imposing figures of Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo.

With that in mind, City look ready to loan him out again and could be intrigued to see how he fares in the Premier League following Forest's return to the top flight. Forest could make a strong pitch to Pep Guardiola and his staff given Reds boss Steve Cooper's excellent reputation for developing young talent.

A signing in the right-back/wing-back area is a top priority for Forest with Djed Spence having been a loan addition from Middlesbrough last season. The Reds would like to buy Spence from Middlesbrough but an asking price of over £15m coupled with reported competition from the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham could scupper Forest's chances.

Nottinghamshire Live understands Forest see Kabore, who is contracted until 2025, as a potential alternative to Spence with Richie Laryea also ready to stake a claim after joining the Reds from Toronto in January. It is understood Chelsea striker Armando Broja (loan) and Wolves forward Morgan Gibbs-White are further targets for Forest.

Gibbs-White