Nottingham Forest join Fulham in the transfer race for £9m Sao Paulo prodigy Pablo Maia

NOTTINGHAM FOREST are reportedly embroiled in a battle with Fulham in a bid to land Brazilian prodigy Pablo Maia.

Steve Cooper’s side have joined the race for the youngster’s signature as English clubs look to attract the best young talent from around the world.

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The highly rated midfielder has impressed during his time at Sao Paulo and attracted the attention of scouts.

It seemed Fulham had put themselves in pole position to try and get his signature.

But the Tricky Trees have plunged into the transfer battle, according to Brazilian media.

Lance! say a move to the Premier League is taking place, with Sao Paulo reportedly ready to hear offers of €10million, roughly the equivalent of £8.7million.

A £6.5m bid from a Premier League club is believed to have already been rejected.

Maia has been playing for the Sao Paulo youth team since 2017 but recently made the leap to the senior team.

Two of Fulham’s most impressive players so far this season have been Brazilians, with Willian and former Man United midfielder Andreas Pereira both exceeding expectations.

The ex-Chelsea winger scored his first goal for the club, scoring in yesterday’s 3-2 win at Elland Road.

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And he impressed in the 3-0 win over Aston Villa earlier this week.

While Pereira has been a fantastic addition to Marco Silva’s midfield since his summer move.

Forest have not been as successful since rising but claimed a huge scalp in the weekend’s win against Liverpool.

If Maia were to join, he would just be the latest signing after Forest spent the summer injecting money into 23 players.

But the club hierarchy did not appear happy with recruitment, with several backroom staff tasked with accepting players being sacked earlier this month.