Rangers could land the Nottingham Forest pair on a cut-price deal after Nuno Espirito Santo admitted plans are afoot to cut his squad down.
Nottingham Forest are all ears as far as Rangers targets Scott McKenna and Emmanuel Dennis go after Nuno Espirito Santo gets set to scythe down his bloated squad.
Santo took over struggling Forest in December and they won back to back league games against Newcastle and Manchester United before the year – the first time they’ve won successive matches all season. The signs are pointing upwards but new boss Santo isn’t settling and is keen to move players on, both to raise funds and clear space with as many as 33 senior players available.
Scotland defender McKenna hasn’t been named in a squad under Santo and Record Sport understands that, with no interest from Celtic in him, Rangers could get a free run to sign him if they decide to press ahead. And it’s believed he is keen, seeing a return to Scotland as one route to solidify his place in Steve Clarke’s squad for the March internationals and Euro 2024. He’s out of contract in the summer and could be available on a short-term loan before arriving permanently in June.
It’s also been strongly reported that Philippe Clement holds an interest in signing forward Dennis from Forest. He’s currently out on loan at Basaksehir but isn’t playing and Forest are considering their options – with Dennis keen on a move to Ibrox if a firm offer arrives.
And it seems boss Santo is open to letting both players leave, if his scathing assessment of his squad state of play is anything to go by. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup third round tie with Blackpool, Santo said: “There are no final decisions. We have been doing a lot of work since we arrived. It is true that we want to reduce the number of players in the squad, but at the same time we want to improve the quality of the squad.
“Any player to come has to improve us and give us something different that we don’t have. That is our job. There are no final decisions in football because anything can happen. The work we are doing is trying to find what is available, but the important thing is the players who are here. We are the ones who have to move forward, improve and compete.”
Another area Clement is keen to improve is left-back and the name on most fans’ lips is Josh Doig. He’s impressed since swapping Hibs for Hellas Verona but the Serie A side are strapped for cash and open to offers in the region of £5m. They are also said to be keen on current Gers left-back RIdvan Yilmaz, leading to talk a potential part-exchange deal could be in the works that could suit everyone.
But if Doig proves untenable in January, with other clubs like Torino and Leeds credited with an interest, he’s not the only option on the table. Twente’s Gjis Simal – or ‘Smaldini’ as he has been monikered in the Netherlands – is also on the agenda. Twente’s technical director Arnold Bruggink admitted last month they have to be ‘realistic,’ with the player out of contract in the summer.
“Of course we would very much like it if Gijs signed a new deal with us,” he said. “But both parties have to want that. And we have to be realistic about that part of his future sadly.”
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