• African football

Ola Aina: Two Premier League sides in race to sign Nigerian star

Ola Aina at Torino
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The Torino defender has attracted interest from abroad due to his brilliant performances last season.

Nottingham Forest and Leeds United have shown interest in signing Nigerian defender Ola Aina.

The former Chelsea academy player spent an impressive campaign at Torino last season. Similar to his teammate Gleison Bremer, Aina has found a host of Premier League suitors this summer.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United are both pursuing a deal for the Super Eagles star.

Forest, who are preparing to return to the Premier League after two decades, signed another Nigerian star last week. Union Berlin’s striker Taiwo Awoniyi joined the English side on a club-record fee of €20.5 million.

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On the other hand, Leeds United are looking to continue their summer recruitments after signing midfielder Marc Roca from Bayern Munich. 

Aina returned to English football on a loan deal to Fulham in 2020. However, he left the club after the Cottagers suffered relegation that season.

The 25-year-old was a regular starter for Torino during the first half of the last season. However, he fell out of favour after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.

A move to the Premier League could provide Aina with a fresh start while increasing his chances of getting a national team call-up ahead of the upcoming 2022 World Cup.

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