Nottingham Forest are not interested in a January deal for Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Marinakis plotting late Bakayoko move

The 28-year-old arrived in the Premier League when he joined the Blues back in 2017, but is currently halfway through a two-year loan with Italian giants AC Milan.

The Reds were believed to be eyeing up a shock late move for the Frenchman in the final days of the summer window, but a deal wasn’t agreed before the deadline.

The Latest: Forest don’t want Bakayoko

Taking to Twitter, Romano denied all claims linking Forest to Bakayoko and insisted that Evangelos Marinakis would not be pursuing a deal in the New Year. He wrote:

“Rumours about Tiemoué Bakayoko to Olympiacos and then to Nottingham Forest in January are wide of mark.”

The Verdict: Waste of money

Hearing the news that Bakayoko won’t be joining Forest will no doubt be music to the ears of most supporters.

The ‘different mentality’ ace, as dubbed by former AC Milan star Lucas Biglia, has failed to make a single appearance in the Serie A so far this season and is currently on £93k-per-week, a salary not worth paying for someone who’d be nothing more than a bench warmer.

Steve Cooper already has the likes of Lewis O’Brien and Cheikhou Kouyate at his disposal in midfield, so making the decision not to pursue Bakayoko is almost definitely the right one.