Jesse Lingard has been offered a lucrative deal approaching £200,000 per week by Nottingham Forest as they hope to beat West Ham to the signature of the England midfielder.
The Hammers, w. Lingard had a successful loan spell in 2020-21, are reluctant to raise their own offer, which was less than the one made by Forest.
The former Manchester United star has been jetting around the globe during the off-season
The 29-year-old was set to decide on his future imminently and was looking for a weekly salary of about £180,000, which would make him comfortably the top earner at the City Ground, with a contract of either one or two years.
Sportsmail also understands Lingard’s representatives were also seeking a significant fee for their role in the deal.
Lingard has not given up hope of regaining his place in Gareth Southgate’s squad ahead of the World Cup this winter.
They believe that if Lingard joins, he would be a statement signing for Forest as they prepare for a first campaign in the Premier League since 1999.
Forest manager Steve Cooper has been swift in improving his squad for the Premier League
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Owner Evangelos Marinakis has bankrolled a significant summer spending campaign after Forest sealed promotion to the top flight for the first time this century.
They have already committed about £70m on transfers after finalising a double move for Huddersfield’s Lewis O’Brien and Harry Toffolo on Wednesday.
Dean Henderson, who arrived on loan from Manchester United, was Forest’s most eye-catching deal so far, while they also broke their transfer record to sign Taiwo Awoniyi from Union Berlin for £17m.
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