Nottingham Forest are pursuing Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong in a proposed £40m move, with reports differing slightly on whether the approach has reached the stage of a formal bid or remains negotiations between the clubs.
The common thread is clear: Forest see the 19-year-old as a major target as they reshape their midfield, while Everton face a potentially defining decision over one of their most highly regarded academy products. Any sale so late in the window would be especially sensitive given separate links between Iliman Ndiaye and Manchester City.
Bid expected or talks under way?
One report says Forest are preparing to put £40m on the table for Armstrong. Another says discussions with Everton over a deal at that valuation are already taking place. That is a meaningful distinction in transfer reporting: an intended offer can be a way of testing a club's position, whereas club-to-club talks suggest a price and structure may already be under discussion.
Neither account establishes that Everton have accepted the prospect of selling, or even that they have named an asking price. There is also no detail on possible add-ons, payment terms, a sell-on clause or whether Armstrong himself would be willing to move. Those unanswered questions matter as much as the headline number when the player is a home-grown teenager with substantial strategic value to his current club.
Armstrong started Everton's opening league match against Crystal Palace, according to the reports, and his involvement this season has made him more than a distant youth prospect. Forest's interest therefore appears to be in a player they believe can contribute now as well as develop over time.
Forest's midfield rebuild gives the move context
Forest's pursuit is reported to follow Elliot Anderson's departure, creating both a vacancy and an incentive to act decisively. Armstrong would be an ambitious replacement profile: young, Premier League-tested to a limited but growing extent, and expensive enough to indicate that Forest do not regard this simply as a squad-depth signing.
Yet the same reporting suggests Forest are not placing every midfield need on Armstrong alone. They have also explored a possible loan arrangement involving Tottenham's Pape Matar Sarr and continue to speak to Corinthians about Andre. That broader activity may mean Forest are seeking more than one solution, or it may provide alternatives should Everton refuse to engage.
Their manager, Oliver Glasner, indicated before the Liverpool fixture that further arrivals were close, without identifying the players involved. Forest are also reported to be nearing a deal for Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz, an indication that their late-window work spans more than one area of the pitch.
The key uncertainty is whether Armstrong is Forest's priority signing after Anderson's sale or one of several feasible options. A £40m commitment would imply strong conviction, but the existence of parallel targets gives Forest leverage and reduces the likelihood that they will wait indefinitely for Everton to decide.
Everton risk undermining their own rebuild
For Everton, the issue extends beyond the valuation of a 19-year-old. David Moyes has publicly pressed for additions after his side's 4-0 Carabao Cup victory at Preston, and reports describe frustration over the limited incoming business during the summer. Selling a young midfielder who has already been trusted in the first team would sit awkwardly beside a stated need to make the squad stronger.
That does not mean a sale is impossible. A £40m fee could finance recruitment, and every club has a price at which it must consider an offer. But selling Armstrong while Ndiaye's future is also under scrutiny would be judged by supporters as evidence of a weakened rather than reinforced squad unless Everton could rapidly deliver convincing replacements.
The distinction between sales to an established elite club and to a domestic rival is likely to shape the reaction. Manchester City's reported interest in Ndiaye would bring its own concerns, but Forest are a side Everton will expect to measure themselves against. Allowing Armstrong to join them would intensify scrutiny of the Friedkin Group's plans and of Moyes's ability to build a competitive group.
Crucially, the reports do not say that Moyes supports a transfer, that Armstrong has requested one, or that Everton need to sell before the deadline. Until one of those positions becomes clearer, the story is best understood as a test of Everton's resolve rather than an imminent exit.
Deadline pressure and the next fixture
The timing leaves little room for a drawn-out negotiation. Forest's reported timetable points to only a few days remaining to complete business, while Everton must balance transfer decisions with preparation for their next Premier League assignment at Bournemouth.
The match model gives Bournemouth a 43% chance of victory, compared with 29% for Everton and 28% for a draw, in the Bournemouth vs Everton preview. Those figures are not a measure of Armstrong's transfer value or an indication of where he will play, but they underline the immediate competitive backdrop to Everton's decision-making.
A rejection would be a clear statement that Armstrong is central to the club's plans. Acceptance, particularly without evident reinvestment, would invite the opposite reading. For now, the reports agree on Forest's intent; what remains unresolved is whether Everton are prepared to turn interest into one of the window's most consequential deals.