Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Sarah Clapson

Highly-rated Nottingham Forest youngster sets out ambition amid 'discussions about future'

Young talent Ateef Konate says discussions over his future at Nottingham Forest have already started, as he continues to impress for the Under-23s.

The 20-year-old joined the Reds from French second division side Le Havre in September 2020 and this season has had his first taste of senior action. He featured twice in the Carabao Cup, then was handed his league debut by Steve Cooper in the 3-0 win over Barnsley in January.

The midfielder is part of a group of academy players who regularly train with the first-team squad. And Cooper has admitted the club turned down interest from teams looking to take him on loan in January.

Read more: Forest's promotion chances assessed as belief continues to grow

Read more: 'Recruitment meeting' claim made amid transfer interest in Nottingham Forest ace

From the summer, Konate is said to have another 12 months to run on his contract with Forest. The youngster says he is enjoying his time Trentside, though.

When asked about his ambitions, he told French website Foot Mercato in a translated interview: “I feel good here, very well honestly, afterwards, we will have to see what the club offers me and the ambitions they have for me and then it will be up to me to make a decision. We started discussing this future.

“The Premier League remains the ideal place for me where I would like to perform in the future. My dreams? I have a lot of dreams. My dreams are one day to play in the World Cup, one day to win the Champions League. I set myself absolutely no limits!”

He added: “With the Under-23s it's going very well, the coach trusts me. I'm not going to talk about expectations but he gives me the keys to the game and I like having responsibilities, so this way of managing suits me very well.

“I know I can still do better, but overall I'm very happy with what I manage to produce on the pitch and the club is also very satisfied with my performance, so for the moment everything is positive.”

Would you like to see Konate get another first-team chance? Have your say in the comments below

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.