Manchester City have reportedly suffered a blow in their efforts to sign Nottingham Forest's Ola Aina, whom the Tricky Trees are optimistic of agreeing a new deal with.
The ex-Fulham man has been an unexpected success story for Nuno Espirito Santo's surprise package, who entered 2025 in second place in the Premier League table.
Formerly a left-back, Aina has switched to the opposite flank to excellent effect this season, scoring two goals in 19 Premier League appearances for the Tricky Trees.
The 28-year-old has found the back of the net in victories over West Ham United and Brentford, largely playing as an out-and-out full-back but also doing a job as a wing-back.
However, Aina is now in the last six months of his existing contract at the City Ground, meaning that he is free to begin discussing pre-contract terms with foreign clubs.
Forest 'confident' of sealing new Aina deal
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Forest signed Aina on a free transfer from Torino in 2023, but if he does not extend his terms, they will have no choice but to entertain offers this month if they wish to recoup a small fee for his services.
Champions-in-crisis Manchester City are alleged to be keeping a close eye on the situation, but according to Football Insider, Forest are keeping their fingers crossed that they will soon find an agreement over a new deal.
Forest have supposedly been in dialogue with the defender's agents for some time, and there is optimism from both sides that a renewal will go through without any major roadblocks.
Santo's side qualifying for the Champions League or any other European competition would significantly boost their chances of keeping Aina, who had his terms extended by 12 months last summer.
The Nigeria international - who is understood to be a 'well-liked' player at the City Ground - has registered a total of three goals and one assist in 41 matches for the Tricky Trees across all competitions.
Why do Man City want to sign Aina?
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Man City's reported interest in Aina comes at a time where Kyle Walker is being strongly linked with an exit from the Etihad, where the Englishman is now in the last 18 months of his agreement.
A reliable performer in Pep Guardiola's backline for several years, the former Tottenham Hotspur man has come in for scathing criticism this season and is seemingly coming towards the end of his Premier League career.
A return to boyhood club Sheffield United has been mooted for the 34-year-old Walker, who is understood to be weighing up his options for a possible exit either in January or the summer window.
Walker was expected to complete a switch to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023, only to pen a contract extension at the Etihad until the summer of 2026.
Ben Knapton
