Nottingham Forest show ‘strong interest’ in Real Betis wonderkid

Real Betis wonderkid Assane Diao did not have a second half of the season that many expected after bursting onto the scene in September with a couple of goals, but the 18-year-old is still attracting interest from abroad.

In January he was subject to interest from Brentford, who tabled an offer of €25m, but that was rejected by Los Verdiblancos. Now Relevo report that Nottingham Forest are the first side to show strong interest in Diao this summer, but that his fee could be much less than what Brentford offered.

Nottingham Forest are showing strong interest in #RealBetis teenager Assane Diao. (Relevo) pic.twitter.com/vIWSAH6Bc0

— Football España (@footballespana_) June 28, 2024

Diao has a release clause of €30m, and is set to go to the under-19 Euros with Spain this summer, but there is little doubt that Manuel Pellegrini leaving him out has hurt his stock on the market. It is also mentioned that former Betis Sporting Director Ramon Planes is perfectly aware of his talents, and is now at Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, who could turn to him.

For Betis, at the age of 18, and having made an impact already, it may not be the worst thing to hang onto to him for a couple of seasons to see if he comes through on his potential. Were the fee around €10-15m, they may feel that they could still achieve that down the line, but it is hard to see them turning down a similar offer to the one that came in from Brentford again.