Nottingham Forest reject £30m Brentford bid for Brennan Johnson

According to The Telegraph, Brentford have made a £30 million offer to Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest for Brennan Johnson.

Forest have rejected the bid, but the Bees will likely return with another offer for the attacker.

The 22-year-old is a top target for Brentford boss Thomas Frank who is keen on reinforcing his forward line.

Johnson shined in the just-concluded Premier League campaign, helping his side to avoid relegation. He netted nine goals and provided three assists to help his side stay up.

The interest from Brentford in the Nottingham-born attacker is not new. They have been trailing him for 18 months.

Brentford tried to sign Johnson in January 2022 but saw three bids rejected for the attacker. Forest have made it four rejected offers.

Brentford will return with another offer for the son of former Nottingham star David, but they will be wary of outside interest in the player.

Everton, Aston Villa, and West Ham United have shown interest in Johnson. Forest had to reject a bid from the Toffees last summer. 

Brentford’s £30 million bid for Johnson exceeds the £22 million they paid to Freiburg for Kevin Schade this summer. They made his loan from the Bundesliga club permanent.

On the other hand, Forest also want to complete several signings for next season. 

One of their targets is Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson who spent last season on loan with Forest.

Henderson is keen on rejoining, but United will hold off and wait for developments regarding their new offer to David De Gea.

Also, Forest will try to sell some players on the periphery. They want to sell off Jonjo Shelvey, Emmanuel Dennis, Remo Freuler, Steve Cook, and Sam Surridge to free up space in their squad.

Forest manager Steve Cooper recently held meetings with club owner Evangelos Marinakis and new chief football officer Ross Wilson over their strategy in the summer transfer window.