Nottingham Forest target Werder Bremen’s Marco Friedl with Nuno Espirito Santo keen to bolster defence

NOTTINGHAM FOREST are interested in Werder Bremen defender Marco Friedl.

With centre back Moussa Niakhate joining Lyon for £27m earlier this month, Forest are keen to reinvest to bolster their backline this summer.

AFP

Marco Friedl (left) is a target for Nottingham Forest this summer[/caption]

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Forest want to replace Moussa Niakhate after his move to Lyon earlier this month[/caption]

And SunSport understands that the Midlands club have been in touch with representatives of Friedl.

Forest like the look of the 26-year-old Austrian international – who is valued between £10m and £15m – and have him as an option to replace Niakhate.

Bundesliga outfit Bremen are currently in a stable financial situation with no need to sell, but would consider a switch for the right price.

Friedl – a graduate from Bayern Munich’s youth system – is happy in Germany and enjoying life at Bremen having been named captain in July 2022.

However, despite looking forward to the new Bundesliga campaign, SunSport also understands that he has ambitions of one day playing in the Premier League.

Bremen are aware of the interest in Friedl and could approach the player to extend his contract in the coming months, which expires in the summer of 2026.

Friedl signed his first senior deal with Bayern in 2015, going on to make two competitive appearances in November 2017 before spending two years on loan with Bremen.

He eventually signed permanently for Bremen in May 2019 for around £2.5m, making 169 appearances in all competitions so far.

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Friedl also has five senior caps for Austria, but missed out on Ralf Rangnick’s 26-man squad for Euro 2024, where they reached the last 16.

Forest meanwhile are preparing for another busy summer under boss Nuno Espirito Santo after narrowly escaping top flight relegation last season following a four-point deduction for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules.

They have already landed Newcastle’s Elliot Anderson for £35m, as well as spending £3.4m on Corinthians keeper Carlos Miguel and £4.6m on Red Star Belgrade midfielder Marko Stamenic.

Midfield duo Orel Mangala and Remo Freuler have left for a combined fee of around £20m to Lyon and Bologna respectively.