The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - October 18, 2022. Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper reacts.
Nottingham Forest are monitoring Bologna striker Sydney van Hooijdonk ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.
The Lowdown: January interest
The Dutchman is currently out on an 18-month loan at Heerenveen and being Kees van Wonderen’s top-performing offensive player, has caught the eye of Steve Cooper.
The Eredivisie forward’s contract with his parent club isn’t set to expire until 2025 but it’s been reported that they are open to a permanent sale, which has already alerted several potential suitors to his availability.
Championship clubs Stoke City, Cardiff, Millwall and Swansea were all credited with an interest in the 23-year-old in January, and it’s believed that he would be keen on a move to England.
The Latest: Forest watching Van Hooijdonk
According to Football Insider, Nottingham Forest have ‘joined the race’ for Van Hooijdonk and are ‘tracking’ him ahead of the 2023/24 term.
The Midlands side have been ‘alerted’ to the striker’s potential whilst on loan and have even already sent club officials to take a closer look at him in action, one of those occasions being the Ajax game just almost a fortnight ago.
The City Ground outfit view the talented prospect as a ‘star in the making’ and have identified him as an ideal transfer target as they are ‘keen to bolster’ their attacking department.
The Verdict: No-brainer
Van Hooijdonk has been lauded a ‘prolific’ forward by talent scout Jacek Kulig and should the opportunity to sign him arise, Forest have a no-brainer of a decision to make when it comes to securing his services.
The Adidas-sponsored star has scored an outstanding 20 goals and provided two assists in 44 appearances so far for Heerenveen, where he’s averaging 2.3 shots per league game, showing that he’s always looking for an opening and is a constant threat in the final third.
Standing at 6 foot 2, he would also be an ideal target man up top and is a huge physical presence with 2.2 aerial wins per league outing, which is a great attribute to have when getting on the end of long balls or set pieces.
Van Hooijdonk being the son of his father Pierre, who was a former Reds legend, means that he will already have a special affinity to the club so he could well be following in his footsteps should he sign on the dotted line later in the summer.
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