EUROPE ELITE IN MAN HUNT

NOTTINGHAM FOREST midfielder Orel Mangala is set to be the subject of a January bidding war between some of Europe’s leading clubs.

Juventus, Napoli and Galatasaray have all shown an interest in the Belgian ace and are keen on landing him this month.

Turkish giants Galatasaray are believed to have upped the stakes by putting a bid on the table and Napoli have now made a loan offer with an option to buy. Juve are also pushing for a loan.

Mangala cost Forest £12.75million from Stuttgart 18 months ago, but would command a far higher fee after impressing at the City Ground. The 25-year-old (left) was a regular under Steve Cooper, but has not started any of the last three matches under Nuno Espirito Santo.

He was subbed off at half-time in the new manager’s opening game – a defeat to Bournemouth.

Nuno is keen to strengthen this month but is also hoping to trim his squad and the sale of Mangala could free up funds.

Forest are soon set to find out if they have fallen foul of Premier League profit and sustainability regulations.

They have signed 43 players in the last three transfer windows, spending around £250m, and their latest accounts reported an annual loss of £45.6m.

All top-flight clubs had to submit their accounts for 2022/23 by December 31, with any breaches expected to be announced by early next week.

Clubs are permitted to lose a maximum of £105m over a three-year period but Forest’s are capped at £61m to reflect two of the years under review being while they were in the Championship.