Nottingham Forest reportedly missed out on a chance to sign Portugal’s World Cup sensation Goncalo Ramos.
The striker was handed a surprise start by boss Fernando Santos against Switzerland as Cristiano Ronaldo was named on the bench. It was the first time that Ramos had been named in the starting lineup and he responded by scoring an impressive hat-trick and firing his country to the World Cup quarter-finals, setting up a tie with Morocco.
Ramos, 21, established himself in the Brenfica team during the 2021-22 campaign but has ascended to another level this term. The striker had managed 20 combined goal contributions in 21 games for his club, earning a place in the Portugal squad, but reportedly could have joined Forest in the summer.
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It was reported by Portuguese outlet Record in August that Forest had seen a €30m (£25m) offer rejected. Initial reports suggested that Benfica had placed a €40m valuation on the young striker before it was claimed, later that month, that his price had been raised to €60m due to the interest in the forward after the club crashed out of the Champions League.
Forest were said to be joined in the pursuit by Newcastle United, with Sport Witness also listing Southampton and Wolves as potential suitors. However, the report claimed that the Reds were the only club to submit a bid, with Benfica only willing to accept a “mad offer”.
Ramos opened the scoring for Portugal on Tuesday with a thunderous strike, followed by an instinctive goal at the near post in the second-half, and completed his hat-trick with a dinked finish. It remains to be seen whether Ramos will retain his place against Morocco on Saturday and keep Ronaldo out of the Portugal side, following his terrific display.
Would Ramos have been a good signing for Forest? Let us know in the comments section…
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