Nottingham Forest Pursue Gjivairo Read as Liverpool Monitors

Nottingham Forest have made the first move for highly rated Feyenoord right-back Gjivairo Read, only to be knocked back after a €17.5m (£14.9m) bid was rejected by the Dutch club.

The offer, confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, underlines Forest’s intent to move quickly for one of Europe’s more intriguing young full-backs. The 20-year-old has already drawn admiring glances from Liverpool and been linked with Manchester City and Bayern Munich, yet it is Forest who have put money on the table.

For now, it is not enough.

Feyenoord set their price

Feyenoord have made their position clear. According to Voetbal International journalist Martijn Krabbendam, relayed by Sport Witness, a proposal in the region of €25m (£21.3m) would bring any serious suitor into a genuine negotiating position.

That figure changes the conversation. At €17.5m, Feyenoord could afford to be dismissive. At €25m, they listen.

Forest, Romano reports, are expected to return with an improved offer. They know the market, they know the age profile, and they know a 20-year-old with 54 senior appearances for a club of Feyenoord’s stature does not come around often at that price point.

The question is who joins them at the table.

Liverpool’s dilemma at right-back

Liverpool’s interest has been long-standing rather than aggressive. Read is understood to be admired at Anfield, particularly with the club wrestling with its own right-back issues, yet there has been no formal move.

On paper, he fits. Young, already battle-tested in the Eredivisie, technically secure, and comfortable in a modern full-back role. In a summer where Liverpool must be shrewd with their spending, this is the sort of profile that usually triggers action.

Instead, there is patience.

New head coach Andoni Iraola is expected to use pre-season, which starts around July 13, to assess his existing options. Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong offer an exciting blend of energy and attacking thrust, but both arrive with durability questions that refuse to go away. Two talented right-backs, yet, as some at Anfield quietly fear, perhaps only one fully reliable body between them over a long, gruelling campaign.

That is the backdrop against which Read’s situation unfolds.

A talent with mileage – and a caveat

Read’s own fitness record is not spotless. A hamstring problem in the 2025/26 season raised eyebrows, though such issues for a 19-year-old still filling out physically are hardly rare. What matters more to recruiters is the volume of football he has already banked.

Fifty-four senior appearances for Feyenoord by the age of 20 is a serious body of work. It suggests trust from multiple coaches, resilience in a demanding environment, and a player who has not been sheltered from pressure.

For clubs shopping in this bracket, that blend of youth and experience is the lure. This is not a speculative academy punt. This is a player already operating at a high level, with scope to grow.

Forest move while others hesitate

So Forest have stepped in where others have paused. Their opening offer may have fallen short, but it has done something more important: it has set the pace.

While Liverpool weigh up internal solutions and balance broader squad needs, and while Europe’s heavyweights monitor from a distance, Forest have made a concrete play for a defender many consider the “next best” option on the market at a realistic fee.

If Feyenoord hold firm on the €25m mark and Forest return, the dynamic changes again. At that point, any club still dithering risks watching a coveted right-back walk into the City Ground for what, in today’s market, would be viewed as a relatively modest outlay.

Liverpool, in particular, will not be able to claim surprise if that happens. They know the price, they know the player, and they know the competition circling around him.

Forest have already shown their hand. The next move belongs to the clubs who believe Gjivairo Read can be more than just a smart signing – but a long-term solution in one of the most demanding positions on the pitch.