Forest target £34.5m World Cup star Christ Inao Oulai as Anderson exit funds move

Nottingham Forest are among a trio of Premier League clubs pursuing Ivory Coast midfielder Christ Inao Oulai, with Trabzonspor valuing the 20-year-old at up to £34.5m (€40m) following his impressive showing at the World Cup. Brentford and Sunderland are also monitoring the situation, though no formal bids have yet been submitted.

Oulai arrived at Trabzonspor last summer from French second-division side Bastia for just under £5m, a fee that included a 20% sell-on clause for his former club. His performances in Group E — where Ivory Coast finished second — have rapidly accelerated interest from clubs across Europe, with PSG and RB Leipzig also said to be weighing up moves.

Forest’s pursuit is understood to be linked to the imminent departure of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City in a deal worth £116m. While Oulai is not considered a direct replacement for the England international, he is one of several midfield targets being assessed by head coach Vitor Pereira, alongside Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall.

Brentford, meanwhile, are primarily in the market for a defensive midfielder and a winger after missing out on FC Köln attacker Said El Mala. Oulai fits the profile for the Bees, though sources close to Trabzonspor do not expect the bidding process to formally escalate until the player returns from international duty.

The midfielder has added a layer of intrigue to his situation by deleting all but one Trabzonspor-related post from his Instagram account this week, a move widely interpreted as a signal that he is open to a transfer.

Oulai’s representation remains a point of contention. BLACKSKILL claim to act on his behalf, but a number of high-profile agencies — including CAA Stellar and Roc Nation Sports — are reportedly keen to take over his management ahead of what could be a landmark move.

Chelsea have been mentioned in connection with Oulai, though sources close to the club have not confirmed any interest. Fulham have also been loosely linked, with the west London side separately monitoring Trabzonspor’s young Nigerian defender Chibuike Nwaiwu.

Oulai himself offered a measured assessment of his ambitions ahead of the tournament. “My goal is to help the team as much as I can and introduce myself to the whole world,” he said. On the evidence of the World Cup so far, that introduction appears to be going well.