NOTTINGHAM FOREST are locked in a fight with Fulham to land Brazilian wonderkid Pablo Maia, according to reports.
Steve Cooper’s side have joined the race for the youngster’s signature as the English clubs look to snap up the best young talent from across the world.
The highly-rated midfielder has impressed in his time at Sao Paulo and has attracted the attention of scouts.
It appeared that Fulham had put themselves in pole position to try and land his signature.
But the Tricky Trees have thrust themselves into the transfer battle, according to Brazilian media.
Lance! say a move to the Premier League is on with Sao Paulo reportedly willing to listen to offers of 10million euros, which is roughly £8.7m.
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It is believed an offer from a Premier League club at £6.5m has already been rejected.
Maia has played for Sao Paulo’s youth team since 2017 but has recently made the jump up to the senior squad.
Two of Fulham’s most impressive performers so far this season have been Brazilians, with Willian and former Man United midfielder Andreas Pereira both exceeding expectations.
The ex-Chelsea winger got his first goal for the club when he netted at Elland Road in yesterday’s 3-2 win.
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And he impressed in the 3-0 victory over Aston Villa earlier this week.
While Pereira has been a fantastic addition to Marco Silva’s midfield since his summer transfer.
Forest have not been as successful since their promotion but claimed a huge scalp on the weekend when they beat Liverpool.
If Maia were to arrive, he would be just the latest signing after Forest spent the summer splashing the cash on 23 players.
But the club hierarchy appeared to not be happy with the recruitment as multiple backroom staff involved with bringing players in were sacked earlier this month.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
