Nottingham Forest Pursue Givairo Read as Liverpool Monitor Situation

Nottingham Forest have made their move for highly rated Feyenoord fullback Givairo Read, only to see their opening bid knocked back by the Dutch champions.

Forest tabled an offer worth €17.5m (£14.9m) for the 20-year-old right-back, a proposal swiftly rejected by Feyenoord, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano. The Premier League side are not walking away, though. They are expected to come back with an improved bid as they push to land one of Europe’s most talked-about young defenders.

Feyenoord’s stance is clear. According to Voetbal International journalist Martijn Krabbendam, relayed by Sport Witness, a bid in the region of €25m (£21.3m) would bring any serious suitor to the negotiating table. In today’s market, that figure feels closer to opportunity than gamble.

And that is where the intrigue really begins.

Because while Forest are pushing, Liverpool are hovering in the background.

Liverpool’s right‑back dilemma

Read is understood to be admired at Anfield, where Liverpool’s own right-back situation is anything but settled. The club are dealing with issues in that area of the pitch, both in terms of depth and durability.

Andoni Iraola has options on paper. Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong give Liverpool a blend of energy and attacking thrust down the flank, and the new head coach may want to see both in pre-season, which begins around July 13, before committing to a new signing. He might even feel the position is already covered between the Northern Irishman and the Dutchman.

But that is the theory. The reality is more fragile.

Both players have faced serious durability concerns, and Liverpool know they cannot afford to walk into a gruelling season with what effectively amounts to “two halves of a right-back” and hope it holds. The Premier League and Champions League schedules are unforgiving. Squads that cut corners in key positions tend to get exposed by winter.

One potential alternative has already vanished. Brentford’s Michael Kayode, once seen as a viable target, has signed a long-term deal, closing that door for Liverpool and any other admirers.

Read’s profile and the price of hesitation

Read is not without blemish. His injury record in 2025/26 is far from spotless, with a hamstring issue interrupting his campaign. Yet a muscular problem at 19 is hardly alarming in isolation, particularly for a player whose body is still developing under the demands of senior football.

What he does have is experience. Read already boasts 54 senior appearances for Feyenoord at just 20, a significant tally in a club competing at the sharp end of Dutch football and regularly involved in European competition. That blend of youth, exposure and potential is precisely what top clubs usually pay a premium for.

Which makes the numbers around this deal so striking.

If Feyenoord are genuinely prepared to engage around €25m, Forest would be getting a highly regarded young fullback for what, in the current market, is a mid-range fee. For Liverpool, who must balance ambition with financial discipline, that sort of price for a long-term right-back solution looks difficult to ignore.

Yet for now, they are doing exactly that. Watching. Waiting. Letting Forest set the pace.

A race that could define a back line

The wider European context only sharpens the picture. Read has been linked with Manchester City and Bayern Munich, clubs that tend not to waste scouting resources on players they do not believe can reach the highest level. When that calibre of institution circles a 20-year-old defender, it usually signals serious upside.

Forest, then, are trying to move quickly and decisively, sensing an opening before the superclubs crowd the field. If they succeed, they will have beaten Liverpool and others to a player many around the game are convinced can grow into an elite modern fullback.

For Liverpool, the question lingers in the background, growing louder with every update: in a summer when they must be smart with their money, can they really afford to let Nottingham Forest steal a potential long-term answer at right-back for what amounts to a relatively modest fee?