Nottingham Forest are set to miss out on the signing of Nicholas Ioannou, with the defender reportedly agreeing a deal to join German side Arminia Bielefeld.

Forest have been heavily linked with the signing of Ioannou, as Sabri Lamouchi continues to strengthen his squad ahead of the 2020/21 Sky Bet Championship campaign.

It was previously reported that Forest had made an approach for the left-back, who came through the ranks at Manchester United and now plys his trade for APOEL Nicosia.

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Italian side Brescia have recently joined the race to land the Cyprus international, but now, according to BILD, a move to Germany looks to be on the cards.

BILD claim that Ioannou has agreed to join Arminia Bielefeld, and all that is left is for the two clubs to agree a transfer fee.

Due to the delay, Forest may now look to sign LB Chateauroux left-back Christopher Operi, who has emerged as a transfer target for the club, according to journalist Gerasimos Manolidis.

The Verdict

This is a frustrating piece of transfer news for Forest.

At one point, it looked as if a deal for Ioannou was practically completed, but the fact he has agreed personal terms with Arminia suggests that they are now at the front of the queue.

Forest could now turn attention to Operi, but Ioannou was seemingly their number one target, so it could be a tough one to take for Sabri Lamouchi and his recruitment team.