Nottingham Forest defender Baba Fernandes is being monitored by a number of clubs in the Championship ahead of his release from the Nigel Doughty Academy.
Fernandes is set to leave the Forest academy set-up having struggled to break into the first-team set-up. The 22-year-old central defender trained with the senior squad in pre-season before the 2021/22 campaign and featured in the Reds' Carabao Cup fixtures against Bradford City and Wolves, but players such as Jonathan Panzo and Loic Mbe Soh have been ahead of him in the pecking order as well as the emergence of Under-18s defender Pharrell Johnson.
The young defender has been a fairly regular feature in the Reds' Under-23s squad this season, contributing one goal in 15 appearances, as they finished fourth in the Premier League 2 Division 2 standings and were beaten 2-0 by Stoke City in the play-offs.
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Fernandes celebrated his 22nd birthday in March and will leave the club this summer, but NottinghamshireLive understands he is not short of options with several clubs monitoring his movements.
Forest's Championship rivals Coventry City and Cardiff City have both been mentioned as potential destinations for the young defender, while it has also been claimed that a move to Pride Park could be on the cards if a takeover of relegated Derby County is completed.
The Sky Blues Under-23s, who are in the Professional Development League play-off final at Bristol City on Tuesday night, have been actively looking for new recruits to strengthen the Championship club's development squad in recent weeks and months, as they historically have done at this time of year.
Under-23s head coach Luke Tisdale has handed several trials to players who have featured in City's 23s matches and might well be looking for a centre-half to bridge the gap to the first team given that they only have Declan Drysdale, who ended the season on loan at Scottish club Ross County, next in line to feed into Mark Robins' senior squad.
Fernandes was one of two players to be named as leaving Forest by head coach Andy Reid after their 2-0 defeat at Stoke City on Sunday, alongside midfielder Josh Barnes.
He said: "Everybody's journey is different and the Under-23s team we will have next season will look very different. We have plans for lots of players to go out on loan, some will be with the first-team. There are different ways to do it and different experiences that are needed as that is what Steve Cooper is looking for.
"That's the plan that will be put in place. We look at two players who probably won't be with us next season - Baba Fernandes and Josh Barnes. Josh has been with us since under eight or under nine level and he is somebody who I have been so proud to work with. He has been in the same group as Brennan Johnson and Alex Mighten who have come through.
"He has been a massively important part of that group going through but unfortunately for him it hasn't worked out quite as we wanted and we can't offer him the right pathway, so we wish him well and know he will be a success. I am so proud of him and Baba and have really enjoyed working with them. Next season's squad will look very different to this season."
