Tyler Bindon looks set to leave Nottingham Forest on loan before the summer window shuts, with the young centre-back reported to be closing in on a move to Charlton Athletic. Fellow defender Morato has been linked with Roma, leaving Oliver Glasner facing a late reshuffle at the back with just days of business remaining.
The Nottingham Post reports that Bindon “looks set to join Charlton Athletic on loan”, while Morato “has been linked with Roma”. Neither move has been confirmed by Forest, and both should be treated as reported interest rather than done deals. The window closes at 11pm on Tuesday 1 September.
Tyler Bindon Nottingham Forest exit: why his minutes ran out
Bindon arrived at the City Ground with a reputation as one of the more polished young defenders outside the top flight, and he wears the No.32 shirt in Glasner’s 2026/27 first-team squad. The problem is not ability. It is arithmetic.
Glasner’s preferred shape is a back three, and he has spent the summer stocking it. Ousmane Diomande arrived from Sporting CP in a deal worth around £34.3m and is a starter, not a squad man. Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo remain the spine of the defence. Morato, Jair Cunha and Zach Abbott are all in the building. Ola Aina, Neco Williams, Nicolo Savona and Luca Netz cover the wide roles.
That is a lot of bodies for three shirts. Bindon did not feature in either of the two Leeds United defeats that opened the campaign, and a young centre-back who is not in the matchday picture in August is unlikely to be in it in November. A loan is the obvious answer, and it is the same logic that has already sent Dilane Bakwa to Lille and Eric da Silva Moreira to Excelsior this week.
The Morato situation is a different question entirely
Morato is not a fringe player in the way Bindon is. He wears No.3, he has been at the club since 2021, and he has been a regular contributor across recent seasons. A link to Roma is therefore a rather different proposition from a young defender going out for game time.
It is also, at this stage, only a link. Nothing has been confirmed at either end, no fee has been reported, and Forest have not indicated they are willing to sell. But the timing is not accidental. Diomande’s arrival pushed Morato down the pecking order, and Serie A has historically been a receptive market for Brazilian defenders with Premier League experience.
The risk for Forest is obvious. Sell Morato on deadline day and the back three goes from comfortably stocked to one injury away from a problem, with no time left to replace him. That is the calculation the recruitment team will be running this weekend.
What Forest’s defence looks like if both leave
Take Bindon out on loan and Morato out permanently, and Glasner’s senior centre-back options become Milenkovic, Murillo, Diomande, Jair Cunha and Abbott — with Abbott himself the subject of reported interest from Preston and Watford.
Four established options plus a young defender who may also depart is workable but tight, particularly for a manager who asks his wide centre-backs to cover enormous ground and who will be rotating through a long Premier League season. It is the sort of squad shape that looks fine in August and looks thin by December.
There is a counter-argument, and Glasner has made a version of it himself. A bloated squad breeds unhappiness. Players who are not playing do not improve, and they do not help the players who are. Trimming to a group where everyone can see a route to the pitch is a legitimate way to build the culture the Austrian has said he wants.
The clear-out has already been substantial
This is not a late panic. Forest have been reshaping the squad all summer, and the list of departures is long.
Elliot Anderson joined Manchester City in a deal worth around £116m — the transfer that has effectively bankrolled the rest of the window. Taiwo Awoniyi was sold to Coventry City. David Carmo joined Olympiacos, and Jota Silva’s loan to the same club has now been made permanent. Omar Richards joined Aris. Willy Boly, Angus Gunn and Stefan Ortega were released.
Add Bakwa and da Silva Moreira going out on loan this week, and Forest have moved on the best part of a first XI’s worth of players in a single window. Bindon and Morato would simply be the last names on a long list.
The incomings still have to land
Outgoings are only half the story, and the more urgent half is arriving rather than leaving. Liam Delap became Forest’s fourth signing of the summer on Thursday, joining from Chelsea in a club-record deal worth an initial £45m and following Xaver Schlager, Diomande and Steven Benda through the door.
Glasner has been clear that he is not finished. “As I mentioned, I think we will add two players. One we have added. That means I guess we will have at least one more signing,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “Deals are quite close to being done. But now, from today on, my focus is on the Liverpool match.”
Right-back is the priority. Forest have tabled a bid worth a reported £22m — £20m plus £2m in add-ons — for Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz, a player Glasner knows well from his time in south London, and Palace are said to be considering the offer. Talks have also been reported over Corinthians midfielder Andre. Asked directly about Munoz, Glasner gave nothing away: “No comments on any names. When the ink is dry, you will be informed.”
You can read the full state of play on Forest’s deadline-week targets here.
Anfield comes first
All of this sits behind a rather more immediate problem. Forest travel to Liverpool on Saturday (12.30pm kick-off) having lost both of their opening fixtures to Leeds United — 0-1 in the Premier League at the City Ground, then 0-2 in the EFL Cup four days later. Two games, no goals, and a squad still being assembled around a head coach appointed in July.
The team news is mixed. Morgan Gibbs-White and Ryan Yates are both available after their respective knocks, but Ibrahim Sangare has been ruled out with a calf injury picked up in training. “Morgan is available and Ryan Yates is available, so that is the good news,” Glasner said. “But Ibrahim Sangare picked up a minor calf injury during Wednesday’s training session so he will miss tomorrow’s game.”
The verdict
Bindon to Charlton is sensible, low-risk business that suits everybody: the player gets a season of competitive football, Forest keep an asset developing rather than idling, and Glasner’s matchday group gets leaner. Expect that one to happen.
Morato is the one to watch. If a concrete offer arrives from Roma in the final days, Forest will have to decide quickly whether a squad already stripped of Anderson, Awoniyi and Carmo can afford to lose another established name with no realistic prospect of replacing him. On current evidence, the sensible answer is no — but deadline day rarely rewards the sensible answer.
For now, it is Anfield, a striker to bed in, a right-back to sign and four days on the clock. The Reds have had quieter weeks.
