Nottingham Forest linked with transfer move for Aston Villa defender

Aston Villa youngster Lamare Bogarde could be the latest player to leave the club this summer with Nottingham Forest backed to make an offer that would take him across the Midlands. Bogarde spent the entire calendar year of 2023 on loan at Bristol Rovers, having joined initially in January and then having his loan prematurely cut short at the beginning of this year after he fell out of favour under new manager Matt Taylor.

Bogarde, a Dutch youth international, was taken out of the Feyenoord academy by Villa in September 2020 but he has made only one appearance in the Villa first team since the move - and that came in an FA Cup tie against Liverpool in 2021, during which time the whole Villa first-team squad were being forced to isolate because of a coronavirus >Covid outbreak and an academy side was fielded.

It has been reported by Fabrizio Romano that Forest are interested in taking him to the City Ground and adding him to their ranks for a fee in the region of 4m euros. Romano adds that Bogarde, 20, will be left to decide if he wishes to join the Reds.

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Forest, under Nuno Espirito Santo, have had a clear out of their own this summer and are eager to make additions. Goalkeeper Carlos Miguel is expected to arrive from Corinthians in Brazil, while they have also completed the signing of Marko Stamenic from Red Star Belgrade and sent him straight out on loan for the new season to Olympiacos.

Villa, meanwhile, are allowing talented youngsters to leave quite steadily at the moment; Tim Iroegbunam has joined Everton for a fee of £9m having spent three years at Villa Park following his move from West Brom in 2021, while Omari Kellyman - who only joined from Derby County in 2022 - is expected to complete a £19m move to Chelsea this summer. Bogarde could be the latest academy-developed player to depart.