Turkish side Fenerbahce are interested in signing Nottingham Forest defender Yohan Benalouane this summer, according to reports from Fanatik (print edition).

The 32-year-old has endured a turbulent time at the City Ground, since becoming Martin O'Neill's first signing in charge after arriving from Premier League side Leicester City in January.

The Tunisian defender made 14 appearances in the second half of last season, forming a solid defensive partnership with Alexander Milosevic and becoming a fans' favourite after scoring the winner against Derby County at the City Ground.

But since the arrival of Sabri Lamouchi, Benalouane is yet to make an appearance for the Reds this season, with Michael Dawson, Joe Worrall and Tobias Figueiredo all being given the nod ahead of him over the last couple of weeks.

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Now, reports from Fanatik claim that Fenerbahce, who have already signed Huddersfield Town's Mathias Jorgensen this summer, are now set to switch their attention to Benalouane.

It remains to be seen whether Fenerbahce's offer for the defender will be a loan offer or a permanent offer, but the centre-half currently has one year left on his deal despite reports claiming that he has extended his stay on Trentside.

Forest picked up their first win of the 2019/20 campaign on Tuesday night, defeating Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup by a goal to nil.

The Verdict

Benalouane just doesn't seem to be in Lamouchi's plans at all, and it will be hard for him to make an impact under his manager now.

Worrall and Dawson look to be Lamouchi's preferred defensive pairing, with Figueiredo also performing well against Fleetwood in midweek, and then you have the likes of Milosevic and Michael Hefele also waiting in the wings.

At the age of 32, Benalouane isn't getting any younger, and if he does have one year left on his contract, then Forest should look to get some kind of a fee for him in my view.