Nottingham Forest’s Loan Bid for Crystal Palace’s £43,000-a-Week Player Rejected

Nottingham Forest recently made a bid to secure the loan signing of Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace, as reported by The Athletic. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side approached the England international with an offer that included an obligation to make the deal permanent in the summer. However, Crystal Palace has turned down the proposal.

Despite slipping behind Dean Henderson in the goalkeeping hierarchy under Roy Hodgson, Johnstone is likely to remain at Selhurst Park this month. The £43,000-a-week player began the season as Crystal Palace’s first-choice goalkeeper but suffered a calf injury in a match against Liverpool, allowing Henderson to cement his position after joining from Manchester United for £20m in the summer.

Should Crystal Palace decide to let Johnstone leave this month, Henderson and Remi Matthews would be the only senior goalkeeping options available to Hodgson. Joe Whitworth, who made two Premier League appearances last season, is also part of the goalkeeping squad at Crystal Palace.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace continues its pursuit of Blackburn’s Adam Wharton, despite the Championship club rejecting an £18.5m bid. David Ornstein reports that negotiations will persist as Crystal Palace seeks to reach an agreement.

In the event that a deal with Blackburn fails to materialize, Crystal Palace could turn its attention to Birmingham’s Jordan James. Alan Nixon suggests that an approach has already been made as Dougie Freedman explores alternative options to Wharton.

Keep a close watch on Crystal Palace for further developments, as more transfer activity is anticipated.