Nottingham Forest are set to sign former Liverpool ‘flop’ Taiwo Awoniyi in a club-record fee, according to reports.
Steve Cooper’s side are keen to add to their squad which gained promotion after beating Huddersfield Town in the playoff final, with a striker their first port of call in the transfer market.
Awoniyi’s career is an interesting one - on the face of it, a striker who couldn’t get a minute at Liverpool in six years isn’t appealing.
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But with his work permit issues never being resolved until his final months, it makes more sense.
The Telegraph report Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is a big admirer of Awoniyi and feels he can make an impact in the Premier League, despite him not making a single appearance on Merseyside under his tenure.
Starting in the Imperial Soccer Academy (intriguingly the same place that Kelechi Iheanacho was discovered), he left to join Liverpool in a £400,000 move back in 2015.
Loans galore ensued to try to earn him a work permit, with FSV Frankfurt, NEC, Mouscron, Gent, Mainz and finally Union Berlin all taking him on a temporary basis.
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He joined Union permanently last summer for a £6.5m fee and hit the ground running fantastically, scoring 15 goals in 31 matches after spending the season prior on loan.
This has even earned him a spot in the Nigeria national setup, with four caps and a goal to his name so far.
Forest’s ambitions don’t just lie at Awoniyi’s feet, however. They are set to go on a mini-spree after Cooper has confirmed his long-term plans for the club.
Liverpool’s Neco Williams is high on their shortlist after probably missing out on Djed Spence - as well as Awoniyi’s teammate Moussia Niakhate, whose agreement is suspected to be reached very soon.
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Manchester United’s Dean Henderson is also thought to be on Cooper’s radar after Brice Samba left the club to likely join Lens. Henderson is wantaway at Old Trafford after failing to break in to the first-team.
Topics: Liverpool, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours, Nottingham Forest, Transfers