Nottingham Forest Pauses Pursuit of Roma Defender Jan Ziolkowski

Nottingham Forest has reportedly paused its efforts to acquire Roma defender Jan Ziolkowski. After securing their Premier League status for another season, the Tricky Trees are now focused on their ambitions for European qualification in the 2026-27 season.

While retaining Morgan Gibbs-White at the City Ground remains a top priority, manager Vitor Pereira is looking to bolster his first-team squad. Although it is currently unclear which positions are prioritized by Pereira, reports suggest that Ziolkowski is on the club’s radar.

According to Il Messaggero, Nottingham Forest is not currently advancing with a deal for the promising Polish defender.

© Iconsport / SUSA.

Forest Evaluates Future Steps on Ziolkowski

The report indicates that Forest is taking a ‘moment’s pause’ to assess whether they wish to continue pursuing the acquisition of the 21-year-old player. In his debut Serie A season, Ziolkowski made 18 appearances, with only five coming as a starter.

Having earned three caps for Poland at this early stage in his career suggests that Ziolkowski is on an upward trajectory. However, Roma faces pressure to meet UEFA’s financial regulations.

In light of uncertainties from Forest’s side, it has been reported that Roma officials are willing to reduce their asking price to €15 million (£12.97 million). This places the decision in Nottingham Forest’s hands as they consider whether to take advantage of this situation. From Roma’s perspective, they need to finalize any sale by June 30.

This scenario implies that Forest may be inclined to extend negotiations, knowing that Roma cannot afford prolonged patience during this period.

© Imago.

Assessing Ziolkowski’s Fit in Forest’s Squad

With Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo established as the primary partnership in Nottingham Forest’s defense, questions arise regarding where Ziolkowski would fit into the lineup. Jair Cunha has also emerged as a backup alongside Morato, meaning that Ziolkowski could face challenges in securing playing time if he were to join the East Midlands club.

Unless Morato is sold, it might be more beneficial for Ziolkowski to wait for alternative offers. In the previous season, he logged just 741 minutes of playing time across all competitions.