Nottingham Forest plans £40m bid for Everton's Armstrong

Harrison Armstrong was in the starting lineup for Everton's two-nil victory over Crystal Palace during the previous week.

The image depicts Harrison Armstrong participating in a Premier League match between Everton and Crystal Palace.

Nottingham Forest has put forward a significant offer to secure the services of Harrison Armstrong, Everton's teenage midfield player.

Forest aims to strengthen their squad before the transfer window closes and, as reported by The Athletic, is preparing a bid of £40 million, along with a potential sell-on clause, to finalize a deal for Armstrong.

It would be highly unexpected if Everton were to sanction such a transfer, yet Forest holds out hope that they can successfully recruit the elegant England Under-19 talent, who is perceived to have a promising future.

Armstrong, who is 19 years old, has played 23 times for Everton and began their 2-0 Premier League triumph against Crystal Palace last week.

Currently, there is no indication whether Everton will consent to a sale.

The England Under-19 player was included in the initial eleven for the Premier League fixture at Bournemouth on Saturday, scheduled for 3:00 PM BST.

Allowing Armstrong to depart would be a difficult pill for supporters to swallow, according to analysis.

The Friedkin Group, who own Everton, risk alienating their fanbase if they approve the transfer of Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest.

The mere suggestion that Everton might consider letting Armstrong go provoked immediate disbelief and anger among fans, as the teenager is seen as their most promising academy product in years and a major source of future optimism.

As of now, there is no sign that Everton will accept an offer, but Forest's interest is genuine, although completing the deal would be a remarkable achievement for them.

Such a move would also raise troubling questions about the extent of TFG's ambitions.

Manager David Moyes has expressed dissatisfaction with the club's limited acquisition of new players this summer.

Following Wednesday's 4-0 Carabao Cup second-round victory against Championship team Preston, Moyes clearly stated his desire for additional squad members.

He had hoped that TFG would provide financial support for more player arrivals.

However, since then, Everton's primary creative player, Iliman Ndiaye, has been strongly linked with Manchester City, and now Forest is ready to challenge their resolve concerning Armstrong.

It would be interesting to see how Moyes would react to, or indeed justify, such a sale, as it would seem entirely inconsistent with his stated goal of improving the squad.