Nottingham Forest make big bid for 19-year-old with only 665 Premier League minutes

30.08.2026 8:59 19 — Nottingham Forest have reportedly made a very large bid for Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong, a 19-year-old who has accumulated just 665 minutes across 17 Premier League appearances.

According to transfer details that emerged on Saturday, Forest prepared an offer worth 45,000,000 euros to sign Armstrong from Everton. The proposal has drawn attention because the young midfielder has so far been a peripheral figure at club level, spending previous seasons on loan in the Championship with Preston and Derby.

Why Forest are prepared to pay up

Forest’s move comes after the club lost midfielder Elliot Anderson to Manchester City in a deal reported at 135,000,000 euros, and the team appears to be rebuilding its midfield options. At Armstrong’s position Forest currently have Xavier Schlager, who arrived as a free agent from RB Leipzig, but the club evidently wants more depth and youth investment.

Armstrong is a product of Everton’s academy and has completed his development through the club system at Hill Dickinson. Despite limited top-flight minutes, Nottingham’s willingness to submit a multi-million euro bid highlights the Premier League market’s readiness to spend on potential.

The transfer window this summer has already produced several surprising deals; a recent example saw Brennan Johnson move to Crystal Palace for 45,000,000 euros before subsequently joining Everton in a swap involving Dwight McNeil. That volatility appears to have encouraged clubs to act quickly and often expensively.

Everton — often nicknamed "the Toffees" — will have a decision to make if Nottingham formalizes the offer, weighing immediate funds against the long-term development of a homegrown midfielder who has yet to establish himself as a regular in the Premier League.

Photo: press material from the event