Nottingham Forest plan Manchester City raid with bids for two youngsters

Nottingham Forest are reported to have had a bid rejected by Manchester City for their highly-rated full-back Rico Lewis.

French outlet Footmercato claim the Reds are admirers of the 20-year-old, who is also a full England international. But a bid said to be worth £25m, including around £4.3m in performance-related add-ons, has apparently been rejected.

Nuno Espirito Santo managed to keep hold of Ola Aina this summer, but is seemingly looking to add more competition to that position.

Lewis made 44 appearances under Pep Guardiola last season, scoring twice and notching five assists as one of the shining lights in a disappointing 2024/25 season for City.

With Guardiola and Co said to be keen on Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento, his arrival could see first-team opportunities at the Etihad dwindle for Lewis, who could well be tempted by the chance of playing regularly and the Europa League football on offer at the City Ground.

Lewis is not the only City youngster Forest are targeting this summer. They are reported to be close to recruiting his team-mate, James McAtee, with a £30m fee believed to have been agreed by the two clubs for the young midfielder.

Nuno is keen to bolster his midfield options after the exit of Danilo to Botafogo and Lewis O'Brien to Wrexham, as well as the busier schedule that comes with European football.

Forest get their Premier League season underway on Sunday with a home clash with Brentford (2 pm kick-off).