Latest Nottingham Forest transfer news as right-back struggles for regular game time at the City Ground
Nottingham Forest’s on-loan defender Gonzalo Montiel will return to parent club Sevilla in January, according to reports in Spain.
The Argentina international completed a summer move to the City Ground in the final days of the transfer window. After it initially looked like the 26-year-old would complete an €11 million (£9.4m) permanent move, a loan with an option to buy was confirmed by the two clubs.
The option for the deal to become permanent would become an obligation should the right-back play 50 percent of Forest’s games this season, but it seems a permanent move is no longer on the cards.
The scenario at Forest, where Montiel is having difficulty getting into games, is “unsustainable,” according to Spanish publication Estadio Deportivo, and the player’s loan will be revoked when the January transfer market opens. Although Montiel’s old team, River Plate, is reportedly expressing interest, he is reportedly eager to play in Europe going forward.
Since moving to the City Ground, the full-back has made a total of five appearances, with just three coming in the starting line-up. He hasn’t made an appearance since October, due to both injury and non-selection.
After recovering from a problem picked up during the October international break, the defender was back on the bench for the 3-2 home loss to Brighton. But he was out of the matchday squad for the Saturday teatime defeat by Everton.
Last month, it was reported that Montiel’s lack of game time was ‘concerning’ Sevilla, who were hoping to get the €11m from the deal being made permanent. They may now look to either cash in during the January window or hope to send him on a more successful loan for the second half of the season.
