Nottingham Forest manager speaks out on club record bid for Arsenal target Cunha

Nuno Espirito Santo laughed off the suggestion Nottingham Forest are primed to make a club record bid for Wolves forward Matheus Cunha.

The Brazil international’s future is the subject of intense speculation after contract negotiations hit a standstill.

Cunha had been expected to sign a new deal this month but negotiations have stalled over the course of the last week.

Forest are among a number of clubs monitoring the 25-year-old’s situation and were reportedly record to shatter their transfer record in order to sign a player who has scored 10 goals for a team struggling near the bottom of the Premier League this season.

‘I don’t know anything about that,’ said the Forest boss while laughing having been asked about his club’s interest in Cunha. ‘How can I comment about that? I’m so sorry to disappoint you.’

Forest had been keen to source cover and competition for top scorer Chris Wood and have seen a £22 million bit for Brentford’s Yoane Wissa dismissed.

Espirito Santo, however, dismissed the suggestion that a new striker is the overriding priority and maintained that pulling off any deal in January is far from straightforward.

‘No, it is the same,’ he said when asked if he wanted to sign a new centre forward as a matter of urgency. ‘Only players that can improve us because our players are working very, very well.’

‘We are working. The club is working and more than anything it is working on the aspect of keeping our players here.

‘That’s because this is the squad that we have and these are the players that are going to solve all our problems. It is not easy to operate in this market and because we only consider options that will improve us, it is not easy.

‘It’s a tricky market for all teams. So that’s why I say we will work the other way around and let’s keep our players here.’

Forest have secured the services of key centre-half Murillo who penned a new deal earlier this week while progress on renewing Wood’s contractis being made.

‘We are delighted that he is going to be here long-term,’ said Nuno on Murillo, who has been linked with Chelsea in the past.

‘He is a player with immense talent and can improve immensely due to his age. He joined us last season and improvement is there.

‘As long as he keeps himself healthy and available, he is going to be great for us.’

‘I think things are going well but I cannot give much further detail on that,’ he said when asked about the New Zealand international who has scored 14 goals this season.

Forest face fellow surprise packages Bournemouth this weekend looking to solidify their place in the top four.

‘We are happy and satisfied with the performance of the players because they are very committed, they work very hard and we are competing very well. The big challenge ahead of us is to sustain this level of performance,’ he said.

‘Nobody expected us or predicted this situation but it is due to the bond – they help each other not only in training sessions but during the matches.

;The way we operate as a team. It is not a surprise because we demand but expectations are clearly there for everyone to see.’

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