Nottingham Forest’s pursuit of a new goalkeeper has taken them to Turkey with the Premier League outfit reportedly preparing an £8.5 million bid for Trabzonspor captain Ugurcan Cakir.
Now, this is not the first time Ugurcan Cakir has been linked with a summer move to England’s top flight. And the story tends to end the same; weeks of sustained speculation, rumours of interest aplenty, and then Cakir begins another new season between the sticks at Trabzonspor.
Whether history will repeat itself, only time will tell.
What is not up for debate, however, is that Nottingham Forest are in the market for a new goalkeeper. With Dean Henderson and Keylor Navas returning to Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain following loan spells at the City Ground, Steve Cooper’s only first-team options are currently a 36-year-old Wayne Hennessey and forgotten man Ethan Horvath.
Cakir is both younger than Navas, and more affordable than the £30 million-rated Henderson.
Nottingham Forest plan Ugurcan Cakir offer
Nottingham Forest, according to Turkish publication Cumhurriyet, are planning to test Trabzonspor’s resolve with an opening offer of £8.5 million. The two-time European champions may face competition from Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Taawoun. Not to mention a Roma side under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho.
Cakir, capped 21 times by his country, captained Trabzonspor to Super Lig glory in 2022. That is one of five trophies he has lifted for the Black Sea outfit.
“Ugurcan is a world-class goalkeeper, in my opinion,” former Trabzonspor and Turkey ace Karim Ali Denizci told Fanatik last year.
“The market value of Ugurcan (should be) no less than 50 million dollars. There is talk about English clubs. I do not know (if he’ll move to the Premier League).”
Whether £8.5 million is enough remains to be seen. Cakir’s true price-tag is likely to lie somewhere between £8.5 million and ‘50 million dollars’.
Nottingham Forest are also keen on the Italy-based trio of Michele di Gregorio, Emil Audero and Luis Maximiano.
Rumour rating: 6/10 – Cakir is both affordable and attainable, but the Turkish press can be unreliable when it comes to rumours.
