Nottingham Forest consider summer move for 10-goal Stoke & Cardiff transfer target | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest have joined the race to sign Heerenveen striker Sydney van Hooijdonk in the summer transfer window.

The 23-year-old, who is the son of former Dutch international Pierre, is currently contracted to Serie A outfit Bologna, but he joined Heerenveen on loan in January and returned for another spell with the Eredivisie side this season.

And, it’s fair to say things are going well for him in his home country, as van Hooijdonk found the net seven times from January last season, and has managed ten in 25 appearances in the current campaign.

With Bologna open to a sale, such form has caught the eye, and it had been claimed that Stoke, Cardiff, Millwall and Swansea were all monitoring the player in the New Year, yet no move materialised. It had been thought at the time that van Hooijdonk was keen to test himself in England, and would be welcome to a transfer, but it didn’t happen.

That could prove to be a missed opportunity for the Championship quartet, as Football Insider have now revealed that Forest are keeping tabs on van Hooijdonk as they weigh up whether to sign him ahead of next season.

It may depend on what division the Reds are in, with Steve Cooper’s side currently battling to stay in the Premier League following their promotion in May. Nevertheless, they have lacked a prolific striker this season, with winger Brennan Johnson the top scorer, so a natural number nine is sure to be on the radar regardless.

If a move to the City Ground did happen, it would see Sydney follow in the footsteps of his Dad, who starred as Forest won promotion in 1998, before departing in acrimonious fashion after pushing for a move months later.

The verdict

It’s no surprise that there is this level of interest in van Hooijdonk because he is posting very good numbers in the Dutch top-flight, and it should be noted he is not playing for one of the big boys who you would expect to dominate.

With Bologna open to a sale, you would expect him to secure a move in the summer, and it appears he will have his pick of clubs, as many will see him as a shrewd investment, especially given his age.

So, this is one to monitor when the window does open, and the four Championship sides who had been linked in January may regret not pushing forward on that one when they had a chance.