Ural Yekaterinburg midfielder Petrus Boumal has revealed that a move to Nottingham Forest broke down in the January transfer window.

The 27-year-old has made 52 appearances for the Russian side since arriving from CSKA Sofia in 2017; only 10 of those appearances have come this season, as Ural look to avoid relegation.

The Cameroonian midfielder, who was also a reported target for Everton in January 2019, has now revealed that he had talks with Sabri Lamouchi in January ahead of a potential move to Forest.

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Eventually though, a move failed to materialise, with the midfielder revealing that Ural's valuation of the player put Forest off buying him, despite having only six months left on his contract in Russia.

Speaking to Sport Witness, Boumal said: "In January, I spoke with him [Lamouchi]. But the problem is my club didn’t let me go and asked for a lot of money. Big transfer fee for a player who has six months of contract.

"I spoke to him, he liked me very much. He told me how he plans to use me. We spoke a lot about football. My team didn’t want to let me go. The price was huge."

Forest went on to complete three signings over the course of the January transfer window, bringing in Adama Diakhaby, Gaetan Bong and Nuno da Costa as well as recalling Tyler Walker from his Lincoln City.

Boumal, meanwhile, is entering the final stages of his contract in Russia, and is set to become a free agent next month having rejected a contract extension.

The Verdict

I can understand why Forest would have been interested in signing Boumal in January.

Despite signing the likes of Samba Sow, Tiago Silva, Alfa Semedo in the summer, you feel that Forest still need to add reinforcements to that area of the pitch.

Ben Watson isn't getting any younger, Sow has encountered a couple of injury problems, and it remains to be seen whether the club makes Semedo's loan deal a permanent one.

It could turn out to be a massive gain for Forest though if they are to bring him in on a free transfer.