Nottingham Forest have moved into the picture to sign Mainz 05’s Leandro Barreiro, according to Friday’s edition of A Bola.
The defensive midfielder spent three years with the German club’s youth team before he was promoted to their first team in 2019. He started to feature regularly for them since the 2020/21 season and has made 25 appearances this season.
Barreiro’s deal expires in June and Nottingham Forest are one of the clubs looking to sign him for free in the summer.
Mainz, through their sporting director Martin Schmidt, have tried everything so far to try and renew the 24-year-old’s contract.
Nottingham Forest, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt have all tried to secure a deal for the Luxembourg international after they realised Mainz won’t be able to retain him beyond this season.
However, the newspaper states Benfica are set to take the lead in the transfer race. In fact, A Bola state the Eagles have already secured the deal even if there’s no confirmation from either party. They add he’s a Benfica fan and has agreed a five-year contract.
Nottingham Forest ‘wanted to sign’ the player and the developments with Benfica will come as a blow to them and the German clubs.
