Yahoo News Evangelos Marinakis could wreck Steve Cooper Leicester City transfer
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis could be the reason why East Midlands rivals Leicester City fail to land a long-standing target as Steve Cooper's first signing.
Forest have watched as their former boss - one that won promotion to the Premier League then achieved survival before ultimately being dismissed - made the short trip down the M1 to take up the vacant manager's post at Leicester. Amid fears of sanctions over financial compliance and a balancing act on a budget with which to achieve survival, the task already seems difficult as is, however Marinakis could make matters harder yet if the latest word from Portugal is to be believed.
This is because according to O Jogo and Record, the club's owner has tabled an offer of €12m upfront plus €3m in add-ons (£12.6m in total) to sign FC Porto defender David Carmo.
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Two weeks ago, Portuguese media claimed the Foxes, Forest and Wolves were to go head-to-head over the 24-year-old's signing. However, Marinakis has stolen a march ahead of Cooper's side - but not without a twist.
The businessman has not made the bid for Forest, he has done so for the other club in which he holds a controlling stake, Olympiacos. Carmo spent the final half of last season on loan to the UEFA Europa Conference League champions, playing every single minute of the knockout stages.
It appeared they would not make the move permanent when passing up on their €17.5m (£14.8m) option to buy which was included in the loan, but now the Greek outfit have stunned their English competitors with a bid that fits within their budget.
