Forest: Reds interested in Ruben Vinagre

Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Sporting Lisbon full-back Ruben Vinagre, according to a report from Record (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown: Career so far

A product of the youth system at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, the Portugal youth international moved to Monaco as a teenager before making the permanent switch to Wolves in 2018 following a successful loan spell at the then-Championship outfit.

The 23-year-old has since spent time at Olympiacos and Famalicao whilst also making 70 first-team appearances for the Old Gold.

Having only just returned to Sporting after another temporary spell away from England, it appears as though Forest are among those attempting to bring Vinagre back to the Premier League.

The latest: ‘Already shown interest’

As per Record, transcribed by Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest and domestic rivals Fulham have both ‘already shown interest’ in signing the defender.

It’s also claimed that Turkish Super Lig outfit Fenerbahce are keen on signing Vinagre this summer, although a return to England is the ‘most attractive solution’ for the player, which could with in Forest’s favour.

Valued at £4.5m and under contract until 2026 (Transfermarkt), the report makes no mention of a potential fee required to sign the man once hailed as ‘special’ by his former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

Would Vinagre be a good coup for Forest?

Yes

No

The verdict: Tailor-made

Equally adept as a conventional left-back and as a left-sided midfielder, Vinagre seems the ideal candidate to fit into Steve Cooper’s wing-back system at the City Ground and could be the perfect follow-up to the arrival of French defender Giulian Biancone from Troyes.

Last season, the Portuguese starlet – who has won five trophies to date including the European Under-17 Championships – made 18 appearances across all competitions for Sporting, providing two assists whilst predominantly operating as a left winger.

At the right price for a player with 35 Premier League outings under his belt, this is a move which would make an abundance of sense for Forest, with the unoccupied left-back position currently providing a major headache for Cooper.