Defender Serge Aurier is almost certain to be the final piece of the jigsaw for Nottingham Forest, following a record-breaking summer.
The Reds made 21 signings before the deadline last Thursday - a British record for a single transfer window. Free agent Aurier has been able to put pen to paper after the cut-off to become new addition number 22, subject to visa approval.
Owner Evangelos Marinakis has certainly fulfilled his pledge to back head coach Steve Cooper in the transfer market. The cash has been splashed as Forest try to hold their own on their return to the top-flight after a 23-year absence.
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With somewhere north of £140m spent, only four clubs in the Premier League are said to have shelled out more this summer, according to transfermarkt - Chelsea (£253.79m), Manchester United (£216.3m), West Ham United (£163.8m) and Tottenham Hotspur (£152.91m). Among the heavyweights in Europe, Barcelona’s summer expenditure is said to total £137.7m, PSG spent £132.8m and Real Madrid had a £72m outlay.
Forest’s summer spending
Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin) - £17.5m
Dean Henderson (Manchester United) - loan
Giulian Biancone (Troyes) - £5m
Moussa Niakhate (Mainz) - £13m
Omar Richards (Bayern Munich) - £8.5m
Neco Williams (Liverpool) - £17m
Wayne Hennessey (Burnley) - free
Brandon Aguilera (Alajuelense) - undisclosed
Harry Toffolo and Lewis O’Brien (Huddersfield Town) - £10m
Orel Mangala (Stuttgart) - £12.7m
Emmanuel Dennis (Watford) - £20m
Cheikhou Kouyate - free agent
Remo Freuler (Atalanta) - £7.5m
Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolverhampton Wanderers) - £25m
Hwang Ui-jo (Bordeaux) - undisclosed
Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid) - loan
Willy Boly (Wolverhampton Wanderers) - £2.25m
Josh Bowler (Blackpool) - £2m
Loic Bade (Rennes) - loan
According to Transfermarkt, Forest’s squad value is now estimated at £232.38m; a total which does not include those players out on loan. That is compared to an overall value of £75m last summer.
Nevertheless, that is still a drop in the ocean compared to other Premier League clubs. Manchester City's squad value is said to be £937.17m, with Liverpool's the second most expensive at £794.70m.
Total market value of each club's squad: Manchester City, £937.17m; Liverpool, £794.70m; Chelsea, £718.65m; Manchester United, £675.27m; Tottenham Hotspur, £591.57m; Arsenal, £554.85m; Aston Villa, £468.54m; Leicester City, £430.47m; West Ham United, £389.25m; Everton, £366.98m; Wolverhampton Wanderers, £325.67m; Newcastle United, £320.67m; Brentford, £255.24m; Crystal Palace, £241.20m; Leeds United, £237.42m; Southampton, £234.77m; Nottingham Forest, £232.38m; Brighton, £222.03m; Fulham, £199.80m; Bournemouth, £150.66m.
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