Nottingham Forest are said to be in pole position in the race for Irish teenager Cathal O’Sullivan ahead of the summer transfer window.
Recruiting youngsters with the potential to improve has been a key pillar of the Reds’ transfer policy in recent windows. The club also place much emphasis on bringing players into the academy set-up.
Forest have a rich history of players progressing through the ranks at the Nigel Doughty Academy. Making the step to the first-team is not always easy, but some have done just that – including club captain Ryan Yates – while others have eventually headed elsewhere and made their mark.
According to The Athletic, the Reds have Cork City’s O’Sullivan on their radar as they have one eye on the future. The attacker turned 18 earlier this month but already has a fair bit of experience under his belt.
Forest are said to be “at the head of a lengthening queue” for the Republic of Ireland Under-19 international. Scottish side Celtic are also among his admirers.
O’Sullivan has made 30 appearances for Cork at senior level. Impressive form this year has put him in the spotlight, with the Irish Examiner recently suggesting he could soon be on the move given “a number of clubs” are showing an interest in him.
Amid all the talk, the man himself suggested a switch to Celtic would appeal at some point in the future. He told the Examiner: “Yeah, it’s definitely an ambition because obviously the link with Ireland and Celtic like.
“It’s a huge club, massive club so yeah, I would love to go over and play for a club like Celtic. I love watching their games and how impressive their Champions League run was this year, and my dad is the same.
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“My dad supports Celtic if they’re on the TV. There’s a connection between Ireland and Celtic or Cork and Celtic, there’s a huge amount of fans over here.”
Described as a winger or attacking midfielder, O’Sullivan has been on Cork’s books since 2020. He signed his first professional contract with the club three years later. Last summer, EchoLive hailed the teen as “one of the hottest properties” in Ireland.
Last month, Forest strengthened their youth ranks by signing winger Joel Ndala. The teenager made the move on loan from Manchester City and linked up with the academy. His move could become permanent in the summer, with the Reds reportedly holding an option to buy worth £4 million.
