La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Forest will make formal contact again in the coming days, having twice come close to signing the 26-year-old — first in last summer's window, when a £30 million bid was rejected, and again in January when a loan deal was verbally agreed before Inter's failure to sign Liverpool's Curtis Jones as a replacement scuppered the agreement at a late stage.
Frattesi started just three Serie A matches in the second half of the season, a sharp decline from the central role he played in Inter's run to the Champions League semi-final in the previous campaign, when he scored the decisive goal against Barcelona.
New head coach Cristian Chivu, who took over from Simone Inzaghi in the summer of 2025, has not featured Frattesi consistently and the 26-year-old has accepted that his time at the club is over.
Inter Milan are seeking approximately €35 million. Nottingham Forest had previously agreed a loan-to-buy structure at £34 million in January, suggesting the gap is not significant — the obstacle in both previous windows was not the fee but the replacement issue.
Forest's pursuit remains complicated by competition. AS Roma are interested in a swap arrangement involving Manu Koné, with Evan Ndicka also discussed as a makeweight. Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli are also tracking the situation.
Roma's Champions League qualification gives them an attractive pitch. Forest, who reached the Europa League semi-final this season before losing to Aston Villa, are back in European competition next year and hope that profile is sufficient to attract a player seeking consistent minutes and a platform for the Italy squad ahead of a home European Championship in 2028.
Frattesi has made 122 appearances for Inter and scored 15 goals since joining from Sassuolo in 2023. The next chapter will not be at the San Siro.