EXCLUSIVE - Nottingham Forest Reject Atletico Madrid Approach After Gabriel Jesus Offer Fails

Forest Star Subject to Spanish Bid

Nottingham Forest striker Igor Jesus' potential move to Atletico Madrid gathered some pace in recent days, as Football Park exclusively understands that Forest had officially received a formal offer for the 25-year-old, which has been rejected.

The former Botafogo striker has split opinion since arriving from Brazil in the summer of 2025, but ultimately had a successful maiden campaign in England by scoring 16 goals in all competitions whilst winning the Europa League Golden Boot.

However, with the arrival of Liam Delap in a big-money move from Chelsea, Forest have been considering their striker options in recent days with Chris Wood and Arnaud Kalimuendo also making up their striking contingent.

There is no confirmation at this time regarding the value of the bid, but the failing of Atletico's move for Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus amidst his now-pending move to Barcelona has led the Madrid side to consider their alternative target. However, particularly after Jesus' impressive performance in Forest's 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Saturday afternoon, they are not in the mood to sell the Brazilian.

It is believed that Forest have rejected the bid, and Atletico Madrid have now also been linked with the likes of Nick Woltemade as they look for a new number nine in the final days of summer.

A Tale of Two Jesus'

Atletico Madrid have been incredibly keen to sign a new striker in the final few days of this summer transfer window, with Fichajes reporting a few days ago that Napoli's advanced stages with Gabriel Jesus may force Atleti to focus on other targets - of course, G. Jesus is now bound for Barcelona, which will certainly force the Madrid-based club to look elsewhere. One of those targets, as rumoured persistently across these late stages of the window, has been Forest's main striker over the course of last season.

With Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres firmly ahead of Gabriel Jesus in the Arsenal pecking order, a sale has been authorised by the Gunners this summer. However, Atletico have lost ground on the race at the benefit of Barcelona. Igor Jesus, the Forest forward, has also been rumoured in stages to potentially leave the club this summer especially after the arrival of Liam Delap - the English striker is expected to be Oliver Glasner's first-choice forward for the remainder of the term.

But Jesus has proved his worth in a Forest shirt on a number of occasions last season, with his physicality and intensity being key attributes to his game that saw him have a great performance against Liverpool this weekend. He is useful playing in behind a main number nine - he and Delap player alongside each other for a solid stretch of the Anfield affair - and it is unlikely at this time that Forest will sanction a sale for the former Botafogo striker.

What Could Have Jesus Brought to Atletico?

Though Igor Jesus divided opinion amongst many Forest supporters over the course of the season, few can take away from him the fact he has netted his joint-most amount of goals in a single season with the club last year - only his 2020/21 campaign with Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC of the UAE Pro League has seen him net 16 goals in one campaign, as he did last season with six coming in the Premier League and seven in the Europa League.

His £10m fee that brought him from Brazil to Nottingham was modest, but Jesus repaid his value in a decent manner in particular with his seven European strikes - a figure that landed him the Golden Boot for the competition, tied with Ludogorets attacker Petar Stanic.

With all the drama surrounding Julian Alvarez this week, and with Alex Sorloth nursing a muscle injury, Atletico Madrid are only too desperate to bring in a new striker as the clock winds down on the transfer window. With their chances of signing Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal dwindling by the ever-precious hour, it's a different Jesus that they had officially turned their attention to. With this being rebuffed by Forest, the club have now turned their attention elsewhere.