A new claim has been made about the amount of money Nottingham Forest want to recoup for Brennan Johnson. It’s now been claimed that the Reds will need to fight off interest from Chelsea for their star forward.
According to the Independent, Forest want £40 million for Johnson. If Chelsea do come forward with an offer, it’s likely to include a player or two involved in the deal.
Furthermore, the article suggests that Forest don’t want to sell to Brentford. The Reds view them as a rival in the race to secure a mid-table finish during the 2023/24 campaign.
Tottenham remain in the race too, although every club knows they have money. Last week they made the tough decision to sell Harry Kane to Bayern Munich for £120 million.
The interest from Chelsea is perhaps the most intriguing. They’ve already added a wealth of players to their squad, yet it would appear that they’re still craving even more.
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Interestingly, Chelsea have a few players who have been linked with Forest. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ian Maatsen and Trevoh Chalobah have all been touted as potential signings for the club this summer.
Johnson has enjoyed two really good seasons at Forest. During the promotion-winning campaign of 2021/22, he scored 19 goals and claimed nine assists across all competitions for the Reds.
Last season he recorded 10 goals in all competitions, with eight of those coming in the Premier League as Forest ensured they remained as a Premier League club.
Nottingham Forest want £40m for Johnson but they won’t sell to Brentford
This does make sense from a Forest perspective. Ultimately, plenty of people are resigned to losing Johnson and the big challenge now is getting things sorted in time to get the right people in to fill the rest of the squad.
A big sale would likely see Forest capable of getting three or four really good deals over the line. As a result, it’s imperative that this one gets sorted quickly.
Johnson would be a loss to Forest. However, the summer spending spree from 2022 is still hanging over the Reds and perhaps they see now as the right time to cash in on the 22-year-old.
Forest have to get moving with this though. If Chelsea are interested, talks should begin right away with the clock ticking towards the 1st September when the transfer window closes.
