Reports mixed on Nottingham Forest £24m bid for Arsenal player

The future of Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira remains uncertain, with conflicting reports over his next club emerging over the last 24 hours.

HAMBURG, GERMANY - JANUARY 31: Fabio Vieira of Hamburg SV gestures during the Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and FC Bayern München at Volksparkstadion on January 31, 2026 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) — Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Fabio Vieira had a successful loan spell with Hamburger SV in Germany in 2025/26, but the club nonetheless decided not to activate his option to buy, instead attempting to secure a cut-price deal to sign the midfielder permanently.

Yet Dominik Schneider reported for Fussball Transfers on Friday that this decision had drawn Nottingham Forest into the race, with Forest proposing a €28m (£24.2m) package for Vieira’s signing.

But Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports in Germany reports that this claim is wide of the mark, and has been denied by all parties involved. Plettenberg claims there’s been no offer, and no negotiations between Forest and Arsenal, nor between Forest and Vieira’s camp.

Fabio Vieira of Hamburger SV scores his team's first goal from the penalty spot during the Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and FC Bayern München at Volksparkstadion on January 31, 2026 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) — Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Plettenberg continues to insist that HSV are pushing for the signing, despite the German club letting their €22m (£19m) purchase option expire.

Multiple reports have suggested that HSV are hoping for a deal at less than €10m (£8.6m), which would be ridiculous and an embarrassing fee from an Arsenal perspective.

Vieira ended the 2025/26 season with 13 goal contributions for a bottom-half Bundesliga side, despite a very disrupted start to the campaign. His impact and consistency has been clear and impressive, so a €10m deal seems well under his true value.

Fabio Vieira of Hamburger SV scores his team's first goal under pressure from Rav van den Berg of 1. FC Koln during the Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and 1. FC Köln at Volksparkstadion on March 14, 2026 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) — Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Recent media reports have suggested that Arsenal intend to be tough negotiators in this summer’s market, insisting that any interested clubs must pay a respectable fee for their players.

Agreeing a deal with HSV for £19m and then selling him for £8.6m would be the exact opposite of this approach.

HAMBURG, GERMANY: Fábio Vieira of Hamburgb reacts during the DFB Cup round of 16 match between Hamburger SV and Holstein Kiel at Volksparkstadion on December 03, 2025. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) — Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

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