Nottingham Forest's Bid for Gjivairo Read: Liverpool's Next Move?

Nottingham Forest have made their move. Liverpool are still watching.

Forest have seen an opening bid of €17.5m (£14.9m) for Feyenoord right-back Gjivairo Read rejected, with Fabrizio Romano reporting the offer and the Eredivisie club’s swift refusal. The 20-year-old, already on the radar of several elite sides, is expected to attract a second, improved approach from the City Ground.

Feyenoord’s stance is clear. According to Voetbal International journalist Martijn Krabbendam, relayed by Sport Witness, a proposal in the region of €25m (£21.3m) would bring any serious suitor straight into meaningful negotiations. In today’s market, that figure is hardly eye-watering for a young fullback with 54 senior appearances already behind him.

And that is where the spotlight turns to Liverpool.

Read has long been admired at Anfield, where right-back has quietly become one of the more delicate areas of the squad. Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong offer quality and energy, but both arrive with durability questions that make planning for a long, unforgiving season a genuine puzzle.

For now, the sense from Liverpool is that Andoni Iraola wants a proper look at what he already has. Pre-season, which begins around July 13, will give the Basque coach a chance to assess Bradley and Frimpong together, to see whether the pair can realistically carry the load across four competitions. If he likes what he sees, the club might decide the position is covered.

That is the theory. The reality is more uncomfortable.

Liverpool have already watched one possible solution, Brentford’s Michael Kayode, sign a long-term contract and vanish from the shortlist. Read, despite a hamstring issue in the 2025/26 campaign, still profiles as one of the most intriguing young right-backs in Europe. A muscular injury at 19 is hardly a red flag in isolation, especially for a player trusted so heavily at a club of Feyenoord’s stature.

At 20, he has experience, upside and a price tag that, by Premier League standards, sits firmly in the “opportunity” bracket rather than the “gamble” category. That combination is precisely what clubs like Manchester City and Bayern Munich tend to pounce on early. Both have already been linked.

Forest, though, are the ones putting money on the table.

For a side fighting to consolidate their Premier League status, the move is bold and ambitious. Read would arrive as a statement signing, a player to grow with the club and, if his development continues on its current trajectory, a future asset with serious resale value. It is the kind of calculated risk Forest have to take to stay ahead of the curve.

Liverpool’s calculation is different. With resources to balance and multiple areas of the squad requiring attention, every outlay has to be weighed against the wider rebuild. Yet allowing a talent of Read’s profile to move for a fee in this range, while wrestling with their own right-back uncertainty, would raise legitimate questions about strategic clarity.

Forest are expected back at the negotiating table. Feyenoord have named their price. The market has opened a door.

Now the question is whether Liverpool step through it, or watch a player many believe is built for the elite walk into someone else’s back line.