Nottingham Forest are preparing to say goodbye to one of its players who joined the club during Steve Cooper’s reign.
Forest has found itself in a situation where they have required to raise revenue through player sales in recent weeks.
The approaching PSR deadline has caused alarm for many Premier League clubs, with Forest and Everton falling foul of it last season.
Last season, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side received a points deduction, which allowed them to narrowly avoid relegation to the Championship.
Naturally, they will be anxious to avoid any additional fines heading into the 2024/25 season, with player sales expected before the end of the month.
And it appears that one player is about to declare his departure from Forest before the end of this week.
Nottingham Forest set to lose player who was rated as ‘invaluable’
Forest have already brought some money back into the club this summer by selling Remo Freuler to Serie A side Bologna.
However, that is not quite enough money to alleviate Forest’s PSR problems this month.
But Evangelos Marinakis isn’t stopping there; another exit will be disclosed in the coming hours.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Moussa Niakhate is expected to be confirmed as a Lyon player, with the centre-back departing for France today.
Niakhate is expected to sign for the Ligue 1 club for around £20 million after struggling for consistent game time last season.
Despite being described as “invaluable” by Cooper, Niakhate only made 15 Premier League starts for Forest last season, so a £20 million transfer fee is not unreasonable considering his lack of first-choice status at the City Ground.
How will Moussa Niakhate’s sale influence Nottingham Forest’s PSR concerns?
Nottingham Forest News spoke with TBR Football’s financial expert Adam Williams, who explained how Niakhate’s move to Lyon will alleviate Forest’s PSR difficulties.
“In terms of PSR, the goalposts shifted for Forest in 2023-24,” he told Nottingham Forest News.
“Because it was their second season in the top division, their permissible deficit for the three-year assessment window was increased from £22 million to £83 million.
“That figure will increase to £105 million after June 30th, when the new rolling PSR monitoring period begins in 2023-24.”
“For the time being, however, they must reach the £83 million mark. While revenue is expected to climb by the conclusion of the season, most analysts believe that £20-30 million in player sale profit is required to reach the £83 million mark.
“That figure would have been significantly greater if Brennan Johnson had not left for Tottenham.
“Niakhate’s departure could help them go over the line. And, considering the current financial situation in French football, Forest fans should be relieved that Lyon has the resources to complete this task.”
