Nottingham Forest announced on their retained list that Diogo Goncalves would return to parent club Benfica after an unsuccessful loan spell. The 22-year-old joined Forest last summer with a buying option, but reports say his £18m release clause will not be met.
It would have been a club-record fee, surpassing the £13.5m paid for Joao Carvalho in July 2018. Goncalves never managed to nail down a starting place at Forest, spending the majority of time at the City Ground out of the matchday squad.
The Portuguese u21 international made 10 appearances in all competitions for Forest and failed to score or create a goal. He racked up just 446 minutes of playing time and amassed only 17 minutes of football in the last two months of the season.
It’s hard to see Forest spending £18m on a winger that has barely featured in the first-team, let alone failing to contribute a goal. Gil Dias was another Portuguese winger who struggled for form at the City Ground this season and saw his loan cut short as a result.
Goncalves surprisingly survived a cull, but the club have no desire to bring him back for next season.
