Nottingham Forest have reportedly joined the race for Sampdoria goalkeeper Emil Audero, but will face competition from some of Italy's top clubs.
It comes after another of their goalkeeper targets Guglielmo Vicario joined Tottenham Hotspur recently for £17m.
Vicario's father told Il Messaggero that Forest, along with Newcastle United, were keen on the goalkeeper during the winter window, but Empoli were adamant that they would wait until the summer before allowing him to leave, and he has since completed a move to Spurs.
Therefore, Forest are set to turn their attentions elsewhere in Italy, with Audero acting as a possible alternative.
Il Mattino claims that Audero is free to leave the club for around £8.5m, and he is said to be on the radar for Forest after they also failed in an approach for the Samp man in January, as the keeper opted to stay loyal to the club who were embroiled in a relegation battle.
Sampdoria find themselves in deep financial trouble, something which contributed heavily to their relegation to Serie B, and new manager Andrea Pirlo will expect to see their number one move on this summer.
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The report also states that Napoli will provide competition for the former Italy Under-21 international as backup to Alex Meret, after Pierluigi Gollini returned to his parent club Atalanta.
After the expiry of loan moves for Keylor Navas and Dean Henderson, Forest are set to be in the market for at least one goalkeeper, as there are hopes they may sign Henderson permanently.
That is due to Manchester United showing interest in Inter Milan's Andre Onana, which in turn could lead United to sell Henderson, and for Inter to target Audero.
Audero's agent recently revealed to Tuttomercato that he is 'followed by Inter and many other teams', potentially providing Forest with plenty of competition for the 26-year-old.
Despite a difficult season, Audero was often a standout in a poor Sampdoria side which finished bottom, making 84 saves in 25 Serie A appearances last season.
Andrew Delaney
