Nottingham Forest make ‘substantial offer’ to sign Jesse Lingard but West Ham still in the running for ex-Manchester United star

Nottingham Forest are in talks to sign Jesse Lingard amid interest from Premier League rivals West Ham.

Lingard is a free agent following the expiration of his Manchester United contract, having spent 22 years at the club.

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Now the race is on for his signature and, according to Sky Sports, Forest have made a ‘substantial offer’ to sign the England international.

The 29-year-old posted a picture of himself in the cockpit of a plane, with the caption ‘soooooo exciting’, hinting that Lingard may soon make a decision over his future.

West Ham are also still in the running to sign him, after he enjoyed a successful loan spell at the London Stadium in 2021.

He scored nine Premier League goals, and got five assists, in just 16 games.

Lingard opted to stay at Old Trafford to fight for a place in the first team, but again found his opportunities limited – playing just 16 times.

The midfielder was keen to leave Man United in January, with Newcastle offering him a route out, but the Red Devils were reluctant to let him leave.

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Now he is a free agent, he has full control over his destination. However, his reported demand of £180,000-a-week has complicated matters.

West Ham were unwilling to meet that amount, according to The Guardian, while this has allowed other teams to enter the race.

Along with Nottingham Forest; Leicester, Newcastle and Tottenham were said to be monitoring the developments.

While he is yet to make a decision over his future, he has been very active on social media over recent weeks.

This has caught the attention of talkSPORT host Simon Jordan, who claimed Lingard has wasted his talent and will be more remembered for his dancing videos and celebrations, not his football, when he hangs up his boots.

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“Jesse Lingard has taken three years of his career and flushed it, because he does not accept that he is not really regarded highly enough at Man United to get in their team,” said the White and Jordan host.

“He had an opportunity to go to West Ham but has made it about finances. He ran down his contract at Manchester United so he can leave on a free contract, because he knows that will enable his wage packet to be at a certain level – that’s his choice.

“Jesse Lingard will be remembered, for me, for TikTok videos.”