Nottingham Forest transfer news: Pursuit of Serie A defender 'paused' by Tricky Trees

Nottingham Forest have reportedly halted their efforts to sign Roma defender Jan Ziolkowski.

Having retained their Premier League status for another 12 months, the Tricky Trees are now preparing to launch a bid for European qualification in 2026-27.

While keeping Morgan Gibbs-White at the City Ground is top priority, Vitor Pereira needs to strengthen his first-team squad.

At this point in time, it is unclear what positions are the priority of the Portuguese, but reports have indicated that Ziolkowski is on the club's shortlist.

However, as per Il Messaggero, Forest are currently not progressing with a deal for the emerging Polish player.

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Nottingham Forest halt efforts to sign Ziolkowski

The report alleges that Forest are taking a 'moment's pause' to determine whether they wish to press ahead with the acquisition of the 21-year-old.

In his first season of Serie A football, Ziolkowski featured on 18 occasions, albeit just five of his appearances coming from the starting lineup.

Earning three caps for Poland at this stage of his career suggests that Ziolkowski is on an upward trajectory, but Roma are under pressure to comply with UEFA's financial regulations.

Amid suggestions of uncertainty from Forest's end, Roma chiefs are said to be prepared to lower their asking price to €15m (£12.97m).

As a result, it is up to Forest whether they will take advantage of the situation. From Roma's perspective, they need to finalise the sale by June 30.

Therefore, it is plausible that Forest may be willing to extend the wait between concluding negotiations, aware that Roma can ill-afford to remain patient during the process.

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Would Ziolkowski strengthen Nottingham Forest squad?

With Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo the clear first-choice partnership in the middle of Forest's backline, it is questionable where Ziolkowski will feature.

Jair Cunha has established himself alongside Morato as backup to the duo, so Ziolkowski may struggle for game time if he were to move to the East Midlands.

Unless Morato is moved on, Ziolkowski may be best served waiting for other offers. He accumulated just 741 minutes of game time across all competitions in 2025-26.