Olympiakos vow not loan Sheffield United defender Max Lowe out to Nottingham Forest

Olympiakos have vowed not to loan Max Lowe to Nottingham Forest if the Greek champions sign him from Sheffield United.

Evangelos Marinakis owns both Forest and Olympiakos, and with Forest still interested in the left-wing back, many believed his proposed move to Greece was just another way of taking him to the City Ground.

Olympiakos’ offer is understood to fall way short of the Blades’ valuation, while Forest were prepared to pay £2 million for Lowe during the January transfer window.

United value Lowe at £5 million after signing him as part of a £4.2 million deal which saw Jayden Boyle join the Blades from Derby County in 2020.

Lowe spent last season on-loan at Forest and registered one goal and four assists in 23 appearances across all competitions as they returned to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.

Paul Heckingbottom has indicated that Lowe won’t be offered an improved contract but is happy to keep the 25-year-old at Bramall Lane to increase his squad depth.

Rhys Norrington-Davies can play on the left side of a back-three, which will leave Lowe and Enda Stevens to battle for the left-wing back role. Lowe has travelled to Portugal with the rest of Heckington’s squad, where they’ll face Casa Pia on Friday.