Nottingham Forest fail in audacious bid to poach Premier League rival’s captain

Brighton have informed Nottingham Forest that Lewis Dunk is not for sale, talkSPORT understands.

The Premier League strugglers were interested in signing the Seagulls captain, who has spent his entire senior career at the Amex.

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According to reports, Dunk triggered a one-year contract extension based on appearances with his current club in December.

His previous deal had been due to expire at the end of this season, but he is now under contract at Brighton until June 2027.

Despite this, the centre-back has drawn interest from Sean Dyche and Forest during this transfer window.

The Reds are looking to drag themselves out a relegation fight, currently sitting 17th in the Premier League table and five points clear of West Ham in 18th.

Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo have established themselves as Forest’s first-choice centre-back pairing, and kept a clean sheet in a crucial 2-0 win over Brentford on Sunday.

On top of this, the East Midlands outfit also have Morato and Willy Boly available as central defensive options.

But with Murillo drawing admirers both in England and abroad, and Boly out of contract in the summer, it appears Forest were keen to bolster their backline with the addition of Dunk.

This isn’t the first time they have considered the Englishman, who is understood to have also been of interest to the club last summer.

Lewis Dunk’s career to date

A product of Brighton’s academy, Dunk has made 506 professional appearances for the club since making his debut in 2010.

During this time, he has helped the Seagulls win promotion from the Championship in 2017, and has been an ever-present as they have become an established Premier League outfit in the years since.

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Dunk’s impressive club displays have also earned him international recognition over the years.

He made his England debut in 2018, before being recalled by Gareth Southgate in May 2023 to feature in Euro 2024 qualifying, and was later named in the final 26-man squad for the major tournament.

To date, the central defensive has earned six senior caps for his national team.

Now 34, Dunk has remained a vital part of Fabian Hurzeler‘s team this season, playing all 90 minutes of all but one of their league games.

He brought up his 500th senior appearance for Brighton in a 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa December, while Hurzeler has continued to stress his importance in his side.

Speaking in December, the German said of Dunk: “He’s my captain, he’s my skipper.

“We know his value. He proved that this season so far, although he had a tough start, he really fought himself back into the season.

“He has had some great performances and he’s the leader on and off the pitch.”

Both Brighton and Forest have been relatively quiet in the January transfer window, with the two sides bringing in one new player each.

The Reds’ only arrival has been the loan signing of Lorenzo Lucca from Napoli, while the Seagulls completed the surprise resigning of Pascal Gross from Borussia Dortmund at the start of the month.