How Chelsea could soon help Nottingham Forest bring ‘fantastic’ winger to the City Ground

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Chelsea could potentially offload one of their fringe players this summer and in turn help Nottingham Forest bring one of their key targets to the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest are currently looking for a replacement for Anthony Elanga, who recently swapped the Reds for Newcastle United.

Bologna’s Dan Ndoye has emerged as a key target for Forest, but Napoli are also in pursuit of the Swiss ace.

However, Chelsea may just have staged an intervention that could see Napoli sign one of their players, paving the way for Forest to land Ndoye.

Napoli move for Raheem Sterling could pave the way for Dan Ndoye to join Nottingham Forest

Napoli have been pushing for Ndoye, reportedly submitting a fresh bid for the Bologna attacker.

However, Napoli fear that they’ll be pipped to the post by Nottingham Forest, according to Corriere dello Sport.

This has led Napoli to consider alternative options, with Raheem Sterling said to be a ‘strong alternative’ to the Swiss player for the Serie A champions.

It is understood that Ndoye is keen on the prospect of moving to the Premier League, making Forest’s offer attractive to him.

In addition, Fabrizio Romano has now reported that Sterling has been offered to Napoli, who have asked for the conditions of a potential deal.

If Chelsea persuade Napoli to sign Sterling, there’s a good chance they’ll cool their interest in Ndoye, paving the way for Forest to get him.

READ MORE: Nottingham Forest eyeing ‘gifted’ Premier League winger to replace Anthony Elanga, Jose Mourinho also wants him

What Dan Ndoye could bring to Nottingham Forest

Ndoye has gone from strength to strength at Bologna since his 2023 move from Basel, making 75 appearances and registering 11 goals and eight assists.

The 24-year-old’s efforts helped Bologna finish in Serie A’s top five in 2023/24, which got them into the Champions League, along with winning the Coppa Italia last season.

Ndoye also shone for Switzerland at Euro 2024, helping his nation beat Italy en route to the quarter-finals.

“His development is fantastic, I can see it day after day,” Switzerland boss Murat Yakin told FourFourTwo magazine at the time.

“He has grown a lot since the Under-21s and it was a great decision to join Bologna.

“He’s young, I like having him in the team a lot with his unpredictability and his clear head; the goal against Germany helped to unblock him mentally.”

The Athletic recently wrote: ‘Ndoye stands out for his ability to progress the ball with driving runs on either side of the pitch and through the middle – only five Serie A players had a higher average carry distance of 8.2 yards last season.

‘Ndoye has played more frequently on the left side for Bologna but has regularly also operated down the right. He is capable of both, which would mirror the dynamic which often saw Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi swap flanks with Forest.

‘At just over 6ft, he is quite tall for a winger and is pretty direct when he gets going – only four Serie A players took more shots from fast breaks during 2024-25. His ability to move the ball quickly on the counter-attack would obviously be important when looking to replace Elanga.’