Hull City have commenced negotiations with Nottingham Forest regarding a potential season-long loan for Dilane Bakwa. The French wide player, aged 23, finds himself surplus to requirements at the City Ground, with the new manager having apparently indicated that he is free to seek a move elsewhere.
According to reports from HullLive, discussions between Hull, Forest and Bakwa took place during the weekend, with the Tigers exploring the possibility of acquiring the player on loan until the end of the campaign.
Although given permission to depart, Bakwa has remained involved in Forest’s pre-season preparations and came on as a substitute during Sunday’s 2-0 victory against Brest at the City Ground, which concluded their summer fixtures.
The dynamic winger arrived on Trentside twelve months ago in a £30m deal from Strasbourg, yet he found goals and consistent playing time difficult to come by, partly due to the club’s turbulent top-flight campaign and the succession of managerial changes implemented during the season.
Bakwa managed only 14 Premier League outings throughout the previous campaign, and Hull see him as a player capable of providing additional speed and firepower to their attacking options.
Forest are reluctant to sanction a permanent sale, having invested £30m in the player and tied him to a five-year contract, though they are prepared to allow him to depart temporarily for the upcoming season. At present, it remains uncertain whether Hull will push through with the transfer following preliminary conversations.
The Reds have been eager to create room within their squad following significant expenditure the previous summer as they prepared for their Europa League adventure, during which the City Ground side advanced to the semi-final stage. The French Under-21 international featured in eight of those European encounters.
Bakwa’s colleague, forward Taiwo Awoniyi, has also been permitted to depart, completing a switch to Coventry City earlier this week after four years in the East Midlands.
With pre-season now concluded, Forest must now shift their focus to competitive action.
The Reds commence their 2026/27 Premier League season on Saturday with a home fixture against Leeds United, kicking off at 3pm. Securing a positive result under new head coach Oliver Glasner will be the objective as the Austrian prepares for his first competitive match in the home technical area.