Nottingham Forest And Everton Target Middlesbrough Forward David Strelec

Nottingham Forest and Everton could swoop for David Strelec, the Middlesbrough attacker, if Kim Hellberg’s squad fails to reach the Premier League this season, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal. 

The Slovakia international has been one of the stand-out performers at the Riverside over the course of the past eight months, attracting an army of admirers for his combination of pace, physicality and clinical finishing.

Those qualities, combined with the 25-year-old’s preference for playing on the counter attack, have piqued the interest of several top-flight clubs with The Toffees and Forest understood to be chief among them.

Recruitment gurus at both the Hill Dickinson Stadium and City Ground have both been tasked with identifying potential new signings capable of bolstering their respective employers’ attacking options ahead of the 2026/27 campaign. 

Strelec’s style would suit the preferred game plans of David Moyes and Vitor Pereira, although the latter will only be in a position to move should Forest survive at the highest level after becoming embroiled in a relegation battle following one of the most turbulent periods in their recent history.

For their part, Boro have no plans to part company with a player they signed for an initial fee of £6.5million in September, and their position, regardless of whether they plot a course out of the Championship or not, has been strengthened by the fact he is tied to a long-term contract.

Strelec may not be the only departure either, with star midfielder Hayden Hackney likely to command a big-money move amid links to Manchester United due to his ties with Michael Carrick, while Morgan Whittaker is also attracting Premier League interest if Middlesbrough fall short of promotion.

Promotion Vital

But if Hellberg fails to take them up then Strelec is expected to be the subject of a number of hostile enquiries, as some of the country’s leading names look to exploit their superior financial resources. 

Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford have also been mooted as possible destinations for the former Slovan Bratislava marksman, who has netted seven times in 31 outings for Middlesbrough.

However, there is a consensus within the game that, given the right service, Strelec is capable of at least doubling that tally even whilst being marked by elite defenders, with Moyes already proving he is not shy of delving into the second tier for talent having tried to lure Iliman Ndiaye away from Sheffield United before eventually getting his man following a frustrating period with Marseille. 

Boro are fourth in the table, ahead of this weekend’s visit to fellow high-flyers Wrexham.