Marc Casado to Nottingham Forest: How likely is £25.7m Barcelona move? Football Whispers Index score

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Marc Casado to Nottingham Forest: How likely is £25.7m Barcelona move? Football Whispers Index score
Marc Casado to Nottingham Forest - is it likely? Photo by IconSport/SPI/PA Images

Nottingham Forest have been credited with a late battle for Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado as the summer window enters its final 10 days.

The 22-year-old has been frozen out by Hansi Flick this season and held a two hour meeting with agent Jorge Mendes on Friday to weigh up his next move.

Benfica and an unnamed Turkish club are also credited with interest, while Casado has already turned down offers worth up to €40m from Saudi Arabia.

The Football Whispers Index scores every transfer rumour across five weighted factors. Read how it works here.

Marc Casado to Nottingham Forest rated ‘possible'

Marc Casado to Nottingham Forest — Football Whispers Index
Football Whispers Index: Transfer predictor

Marc Casado to Nottingham Forest

Possible
Casado wants to stay in Europe and Forest need midfield reinforcements, but Benfica and an unnamed Turkish club are credible rivals for his signature.
Updated
Financial viability14 / 25
Buying club need12 / 20
Player motivation10 / 15
Selling club incentive15 / 20
Market momentum13 / 20
Financial viability14 / 25
  • Barcelona are seeking at least €30m for Casado, whose contract at the Camp Nou runs until 30 June 2028.
  • He has two years left on that deal, the exact point Barcelona want to cash in before it runs down further.
  • Nottingham Forest's annual revenue is estimated at around €245m, comfortably covering a fee in the €30m region.
  • Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli's Saudi offers were reported at up to €40m, dwarfing the fee any European club is discussing.
Buying club need12 / 20
  • Elliot Anderson's £116m move to Manchester City this summer left a hole in Forest's midfield that Xaver Schlager's free transfer has not fully closed.
  • Ibrahim Sangare started 25 of Forest's 28 Premier League games last season and remains first-choice in the double pivot.
  • Forest have already tried and failed to land Tijjani Reijnders, Arne Engels and Davide Frattesi for the same midfield role this summer.
  • Casado, 22, is six years younger than Sangare, the 28 year old currently first-choice in his position.
Player motivation10 / 15
  • Casado started just 10 of Barcelona's 24 games in all competitions last season under Hansi Flick.
  • He turned down interest from Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, worth up to €40m, to keep his options in Europe open.
  • He held a two hour meeting with agent Jorge Mendes on Friday 21 August to discuss his next move.
  • Sport reported this week that Casado will not play for Barcelona again this season.
Selling club incentive15 / 20
  • Hansi Flick has left Casado out of his plans for the 2026-27 season, according to Sport.
  • Barcelona are looking for at least €30m from a sale, funds the club wants to reinvest in the squad.
  • Casado made 75 appearances for Barcelona's first team after graduating from La Masia in 2022.
  • Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli's near-€40m offers underline the financial appeal a sale represents for Barcelona this window.
Market momentum13 / 20
  • Spanish outlet Sport reported this week that Nottingham Forest are among the clubs pursuing Casado late in the window.
  • Forest already made one bid for Casado earlier in the summer, which did not convince Barcelona.
  • Benfica and an unnamed Turkish club are the other sides most concretely linked with a move.
  • AC Milan have ruled themselves out of a deal for the midfielder.
The verdict58 / 100
Casado's score of 58 sits in Possible, held back by Nottingham Forest facing at least two other credible suitors for his signature.
It happens if Forest move first with a fee close to Barcelona's €30m asking price while Benfica and the interested Turkish club stay on the periphery.
It dies if Benfica push through their own approach, or if Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli's near-€40m Saudi offers tempt Casado to reconsider Europe as his only option.

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