Nottingham Forest are close to completing a £30m deal for Botafogo's Brazilian pair Igor Jesus, a 24-year-old striker, and defender Jair Cunha, 20. (Telegraph - subscription needed), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesNottingham Forest will face Birmingham City in a pre-season fixture at St Andrew's on Saturday 2 August [15:00 BST] to honour the late Trevor Francis.
Francis became Britain's first £1m player when he moved from Birmingham to Forest in 1979, going on to score the winning goal in the 1979 European Cup final and being part of the team that won the same competition again the following year.
Francis had scored 113 goals in 330 games for Birmingham, having joined at the age of 15, making his full England debut in 1977.
A series of celebrations will begin two hours before kick-off at 13:00 BST to honour his life, which will include the unveiling of a statue in his honour at St. Andrew's.
Image source, Getty ImagesNottingham Forest have confirmed Willy Boly has signed a new one-year contract until the summer of 2026.
The 34-year-old defender joined from Wolves in 2022 and has made 45 appearances for Forest in all competitions, including nine across the 2024-25 season.
"I am very happy to have signed a new contract with the club and look forward to another season with such a great team and supporters," Boly said on his new deal. "We need to build on what was a great season and I am excited to see what we can achieve as a squad this year."
Chief football officer Ross Wilson added: "Willy is an experienced Premier League player who adds a lot of value to our squad, and we are pleased he has signed a new deal.
"An extremely dedicated professional, Willy has played at the highest level for a long time and he contributed significantly to the team's successful season last year.
"He is passionate about winning football matches and with his leadership qualities and ability to speak multiple languages, he connects the group and helps those around him."
Brentford have put a £50m price tag on striker Yoane Wissa, with the 28-year-old DR Congo international a target for Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Arsenal, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked how you think Nottingham Forest will be getting on after the first ten matches of the Premier League season.
Here are some of your comments:
Andy: Fifteen points after 10 games - awful October though.
Mark: A kind run of early fixtures will hopefully see us get a decent tally of points to get the confidence going once again.
Laurence: A fair chance of 18 or 19 points after the first 10 games. Of course, it depends on who we keep and who we sign. If we keep our core players and make three to four good signings, we might do better. On the other hand...
Billy: If Forest can get something like 18-20 points from the first 10 games, that would represent a great start. That would mean taking three points from the teams below and around our level, but without wins against the 'bigger' clubs. Assuming it doesn't go all our way against the teams around us and the fact we'll hopefully at least take one scalp against one of last seasons top five, I'd be proper happy with between 18- 20 points
Mossy: We should have a very good start with the games we have. Hopefully more players join us to make more competition for places and to rotate the squad during the season. We don't want to run out of steam this time!
Mark: Forest could have about 12 points after the first three months of the season. Although it is a good start (on paper) there are some tough games up to game 10. A start of about 12 points would keep the wolf from the door while Europe is going on as well.
Opta has ranked the difficulty of each top-flight team's first five Premier League fixtures of the 2025-26 season.
According to Opta's model, Manchester United have the hardest start, followed by their opening-weekend opponents Arsenal and then Bournemouth.
Aston Villa's first five games have been ranked the easiest, alongside Crystal Palace.
Take a look below to see where your side places...
Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesNottingham Forest will have to adapt next season should they reach the Europa Conference League group stage.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side have qualified for Europe for the first time since 1995-96 after finishing seventh last season, and their Conference League play-off games are scheduled for 21 and 28 August.
That puts the first leg between the opening day visit of Brentford and a trip to Crystal Palace and the second leg comes before they face West Ham at the City Ground on 30 August.
The Conference League group stage does not start until 2 October but Forest would face a long trip to Newcastle days later and it would be the same for the second game on 23 October, with their next match at Bournemouth.
Of course, Forest still need to reach the group stage first and, if they do, those games will be pushed back 24 hours, but the squad will need to learn to adjust to the rigours of balancing European football with the Premier League.
Image source, Getty ImagesFans have been warned by the Premier League that fixtures could be moved at "relatively short notice" next season because of the number of teams playing in Europe.
A record nine top-flight clubs have qualified for continental competition in the 2025-26 campaign.
The Premier League said there is an "increased likelihood" that games will be re-scheduled if English teams reach the latter stages and it suggested fans take this into consideration when planning their attendance at games.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham will be playing in the Champions League next season.
Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have qualified for the Europa League, while Nottingham Forest will be playing in the Conference League.
"While the Premier League celebrates this success, it will come with an impact on the scheduling of league matches," a statement from the Premier League said.
"There is an increased likelihood of Premier League fixtures moving at relatively short notice, after our fixture announcements, should our clubs progress to the knockout rounds of these competitions."
Aside from the opening weekend's game against Brentford and the final fixture of the season against Manchester United, all dates are subject to change as a result of broadcast and other requirements.
Image source, Getty ImagesNottingham Forest were one of two sides that Liverpool failed to beat in last season's Premier League and they will aim to follow up that good form when Nuno Espirito Santo's side travel to Anfield over the weekend of 22-23 November.
The return fixture is scheduled for the weekend of 21-22 February.
And what about the schedule over Christmas and New Year? Well, Forest visit Fulham before hosting Manchester City and Everton to finish the year.
Their first game of 2026 will be at Aston Villa on weekend of 3-4 January.
Finally, the Reds will close their campaign with a home game against Bournemouth on Sunday, 24 May 2026 - when all 10 matches will kick off at 16:00 BST.
Nottingham Forest will host Brentford in their opening game of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
The match will take place at 15:00 BST on Saturday, 16 August, with the Reds' first away fixture at Crystal Palace on the weekend of 23-24 August.
See Forest's Premier League fixtures in full here
All times BST
Nottingham Forest are interested in 25-year-old Palmeiras and Colombia midfielder Richard Rios, whose contract includes a release clause of about £85m. (Give Me Sport), external
Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesAs the transfer window is now open again until 1 September, we asked you to tell us one player you want Nottingham Forest to sign, and a player you want to be sold this summer.
Here are some of your comments:
Harry: For me the player out would be Awoniyi. I don't think he's up to the level you'd expect from a Premier League striker anymore. Yes he's had a bad run with injuries but even coming on as a last 10 minute sub for Wood, he rarely gets involved in the game. I would be looking to bring in a well versed technical striker like Gyokeres or equivalent.
Tim: Emmanuel Dennis to leave - he has not been close to making the first team and seems to have an attitude problem when he plays. Kaio Jorge to join - a young Brazilian striker who knows where the net is and continues the Forest theme of buying young hungry players with potential to became great. Nottingham needs to become the Rio Carnival of England.
Craig: As a Forest fan, I would like to see us buy another striker. I'm aware we have just got Igor Jesus, but ideally we need a target man. I would buy Vlahovic of Juventus. If he's available for only £25m it is a bargain. A player I would sell is Morata as he struggles with pace. £10m would be a worthwhile sale.
Peter: If we had to sell one player it would be Elanga as he will command a huge fee. Naturally he would be missed but his skillset is not unique. Morgan Gibbs-White is more integral. In terms of who to come in, of the three we're likely to get from Botafogo, Igor Jesus excites me the most.
John: Unfortunately it is time to sell Awoniyi as he will never be the same after two terrible injuries. In terms of a buy, I would say Yoane Wissa as he is Premier League proven and at 28, we will hopefully get for around £40m.
Cameron: We need to sell Awoniyi (sadly), given we're pretty much confirmed as bringing in another striker (Igor Jesus). I would purchase Grealish (unrealistic) or Wissa (more realistic). Callum Hudson-Odoi struggled with consistency and injury last season, so could do with some healthy competition.
Matt: It's so important to keep our key players (Morgan Gibbs-White, Elanga, Murillo) but if pushed I'd let Hudson-Odoi or Murillo go. With those funds I'd go after either Wissa or Vlahovic from Juventus.
In his final interview as a Nottingham Forest player, Harry Toffolo thanked the fans and admitted it is tough to leave a club that has given him so much.
The 29-year-old confirmed earlier this month he would not be extending his contract.
Toffolo joined the Reds in 2022 after Forest won promotion to the Premier League and went on to make 50 appearances for the club.
"It was easy at the start really because I've been on holiday, but now I've come back and seen the city. You see the familiar faces - people you have built relationships with. They've come into your life at an important time - I've helped them and they've helped me," an emotional Toffolo told Forest TV.
"It's tough but wherever I go next, I'm excited for the future. I'm very, very grateful for this football club. It moved me when I was driving through the gate into the players' car park for probably the last time.
"This football club has given me so much. The fans... you have no idea what you have done [for me]."
Forest finished seventh in the Premier League last season and secured European football in the process, with the Conference League coming to the City Ground next season.
And although he is leaving, Toffolo is optimistic about the future for the club.
"The facilities are incredible and you can really see a Premier League club now that's only going to get stronger and stronger. The club really has come a long way."
Chelsea have opened talks with Lyon over 20-year-old Belgian winger and Nottingham Forest target Malik Fofana. (L'Equipe - in French), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
No sooner does the season finish and we start looking forward to key dates for the next campaign - and that will be a lot easier to do on Wednesday when the Premier League fixtures are released.
That's right, that special day in the calendar is almost here already. The day when you'll learn details of derby fixtures, Christmas opponents and end-of-season run-ins.
This page will bring you all the fixtures when they drop at 09:00 BST on Wednesday and we'll be giving you the chance to have your say on how things look.
The new campaign kicks off on the weekend of Saturday, 16 August and it will conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2026, when all 10 games will take place at the same time.
The transfer window is open again for summer business to be conducted.
Clubs can now strike deals until the deadline at 19:00 BST on 1 September.
So if you can sell one player, who is it? And if you can buy one player only, who gets the nod?
Give us reasons for your choice but remember, in this instance it's a strict one player leaving and one coming in.
Image source, Getty ImagesWhen I look at Nottingham Forest and the market that they were in at the beginning of this past season compared with the market they are potentially in now, I still think it would be the same whether they had qualified for the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League.
Had they got into Europe's top-tier competition, I don't think they would have been able to attract anyone more high profile.
Financially, you could say it has hindered them as they may have to sell more high-profile players to fund signings, but from the perspective of players in the market, I don't think it is massively different.
When I think about player attraction, I feel, for example, if Newcastle ended up in the Europa League instead of the Champions League, they would have probably been able to draw a higher-profile player than Forest could have done if they had got in the Champions League.
Likewise with Chelsea, if they didn't get that Champions League place, they still would have been able to draw a higher-profile player than Forest just because of the club and how much time has been spent in those European spots in recent years.
Yes, the attraction would have been there of Champions League football, but I don't believe the market would be any different to what they would have looked at had they finished first to sixth.
Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson
Nottingham Forest are rivalling Leeds and Sunderland for 31-year-old Mozambique left-back Reinildo Mandava, who is out of contract with Atletico Madrid this summer. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesHarry Toffolo says Nottingham Forest and their supporters have "given me moments I'll never forget".
It was confirmed on Monday the 29-year-old would be leaving the City Ground when his deal ends at the end of the month.
The left-back made 57 appearances, scoring once, after arriving from Huddersfield in 2022, and played just four times in the Premier League last season.
In a post on his social media accounts,, external Toffolo said: "I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone associated with Nottingham Forest.
"From the owner, Mr Marinakis, and the rest of the board, to the managers I've worked under - Steve Cooper and Nuno - thank you for the opportunity and the belief. I've loved working with you both and evolving my game during my time at the club.
"To all the staff - from those on the training pitch to the many faces behind the scenes that fans don't always see, you are the real engine of the football club. You've worked tirelessly to make sure we, as players, are at our very best every day, and I'll always be grateful for your effort and energy.
"One of the things I've been most proud of during my time here is my work in the community. It's something I'm extremely passionate about. To be named the club's PFA Community Champion, and to be asked to serve as the Mental Health Ambassador by the NFFC Community Trust, meant a great deal. I've genuinely enjoyed every single project I was part of, and your time meant just as much to me as mine did to you.
"To the lads in the dressing room - you're a special group. Stay close, keep driving standards and enjoy what's coming next. The future is exciting.
"And to the fans - whether you were chanting 'Hey Baby', creating special memories for my family, or just making me proud to pull on the shirt - thank you. You've given me moments I'll never forget.
"Enjoy travelling Europe again. Toff."
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on whether Nottingham Forest need to act urgently in the transfer market, with the first window closing at 19:00 BST on Tuesday.
Here are some of your comments:
Josh: I think the key is to not rush any business. It'll be great if we can get some early deals done, but there's no harm in waiting until the window re-opens. Overall, I think another striker is our top priority. I'd like to see someone with pace that offers something different to Chris Wood. It goes without saying that keeping hold of key players is a must!
Matt: A big success will be if Morgan Gibbs-White, Matz Sels, Murillo, Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga are still Forest players by the end of the day. I would happily take that over any new signings, to be honest!
Sean: The key thing we need to address is keeping players like Gibbs-White and Elanga, who have interest from other clubs. Then we can try to sign some players to give us some quality and depth in key areas, such as cover for Chris Wood.
Mike: We need a centre-forward to help Wood. Hopefully, we keep our squad in tact this summer because having a small squad will not help us out next season.
Luke: I think the bigger deadline day for Forest is 30 June. I'm hoping that we can hang on to the crown jewels while the PSR calculations are done.
