Nottingham Forest are drawing closer to acquiring Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic, who is set to join in the coming hours.
The Reds have worked rapidly to find a replacement for Moussa Niakhate, who was allowed to join Lyon last month.
Forest have a plethora of defenders on their roster, but Milenkovic appears to be the sort who can step in and make an impression.
He’s been at Fiorentina for seven years, taking the club to two European finals in his last two seasons in Italy.
Now, there is convincing evidence that he is about to join with the club, as the player is photographed for the first time with the iconic Garibaldi.
Nikola Milenkovic spotted with Nottingham Forest shirt
The 26-year-old defender looks to be quite close to being revealed as a Nottingham Forest player currently.
Sports journalist Lorenzo Lepore shared a photo on X of Milenkovic carrying the Forest shirt, which revealed his squad number.
He wrote: “Everything is confirmed, Nikola Milenkovic will be a new player for #NFFC. Here’s an exclusive photo of him with his new club’s shirt; he’ll wear number 31.”
Milenkovic will wear the number 31 shirt, which makes sense given that he usually wears the number four, and this provides him a sum of that.
Joe Worrall has taken the defender’s normal number, and while he may leave the club in the future, he is staying for now.
Milenkovic now appears to be a done deal, and he will most likely join his colleagues in Spain for a preseason training camp.
Milenkovic could be a captain candidate for Forest.
Milenkovic is a leader who, quite simply, the Forest dressing room really needs right now.
Last season, no fewer than six players wore the captain’s armband, which is just unacceptable for a Premier League club in only its third season.
Milenkovic was Fiorentina’s vice-captain, and he won’t be afraid to raise feathers if his teammates at Forest live up to his high expectations.
This feels like a very good signing for the Reds.
It reflects another shift in Forest’s transfer strategy, with the club evidently focusing on signing players of a certain age with a certain level of resale value.
Milenkovic should significantly improve Forest’s defensive performance from last season, and we believe he will immediately become a fan favourite.
