Jesse Lingard is edging closer to a move to Nottingham Forest despite holding talks with West Ham this summer.
Lingard recently left Manchester United following the expiration of his contract. The England international will be available on a free transfer, and multiple clubs are showing an interest in him.
The 29-year-old has struggled for minutes over the last few years, barring a short loan spell at West Ham. The London club have reportedly held talks to sign Lingard on a permanent deal this summer, as seen in the tweet below from journalist Jacob Steinberg.
Update on this … now told they Forest are close to agreeing a deal with Lingard. Not finalised yet but a fairly surprising development #whufc #nffc https://t.co/h6E5P8flWp
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) July 19, 2022
However, the most surprising thing is that Nottingham Forest are now reportedly close to securing a deal to sign Lingard, despite talks with West Ham.
Forest have only recently been promoted to the Premier League, so attracting a player of the calibre of Lingard would be an impressive coup.
A move to Nottingham Forest may suit Lingard more than West Ham, due to less competition for places. West Ham have multiple attacking midfielders at the club, and Forest would be looking for a replacement for Philip Zinckernagel.
