Nottingham Forest close in on £13m Mainz captain Moussa Niakhate as their FOURTH  summer signing

Nottingham Forest are closing in on a deal to make French defender Moussa Niakhate their fourth signing of the summer.

The 26-year-old, who plays for German club Mainz, is expected to have a medical in the next 24 hours before flying to Spain to link up with his new team-mates. The deal is expected to be worth up to £13million.

Niakhate would be the latest arrival of an increasingly busy summer for Forest, who have already signed England goalkeeper Dean Henderson on loan from Manchester United, as well as concluding permanent deals for forward Taiwo Awoniyi and defender Giulian Biancone.

Niakhate helped Mainz to an eighth-place finish in the Bundesliga last season after playing 30 games. 

He joined from Metz in 2018 and has made 135 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 9 goals during that time.  

Owner Evangelos Marinakis is prepared to bankroll a significant summer spending campaign after Forest sealed promotion to the top flight for the first time this century, and their moves in the market are unlikely to end there.

He is expected to have a medical in the next 24 hours before flying to Spain for pre-season

Boss Steve Cooper also retains strong interest in Wolves playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White 

Boss Steve Cooper retains strong interest in Wolves playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White, while Forest have also agreed a new four-year deal with star forward Brennan Johnson.

As reported by Sportsmail, Gibbs-white is also attracting interest from Premier League rivals Southampton and Crystal Palace. 

The 22-year-old will return to Wolves for pre-season but it is not clear whether the England U21 international is part of manager Bruno Lage’s plans.

Cooper’s side will start the season with a trip to Newcastle on August 6 before hosting West Ham the following week.