Jesse Lingard joins Nottingham Forest on a free transfer

• Jesse Lingard has taken to social media to announce that he will join Nottingham Forest
• After his departure from Old Trafford, the former Manchester United player was eligible for a free move
• After submitting a substantial bid, Forest was able to secure his services before West Ham did so this summer
• Westham was highly interested in the player but was not willing to pay what he requested

Lingard officially signed a massive contract with the club that will pay him £200,000 weekly.

In the most surprising transaction of the summer transfer season, Nottingham Forest, who was just promoted, was able to recruit Jesse Lingard to a massive contract that will pay him close to £200,000 per week.

The England international, who had been playing for Manchester United but had his contract expired, decided against playing for West Ham and instead signed with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday after completing a medical. He is expected to make his debut in a friendly match against Union Berlin in Germany on Saturday.

It is believed that Lingard has signed a contract with Forest for an initial period of twelve months; however, the club will be hoping to extend that if he performs well.

Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard in a past match. Photo: Getty Images

After playing a pivotal role in England’s journey to the semi-finals of the World Cup four years ago, the 29-year-old has not given up hope of making Gareth Southgate’s team for this winter’s tournament in Qatar.

The tournament will take place in the winter.

Early in the evening, Mitliadis Marinakis, son of the club’s owner Evangelos, posted a picture of himself and Jesse Lingard standing with a shirt with the Nottingham Forest logo.

Henderson, who has made 49 appearances in the top tier, is the only one with extensive  PremierLeague experience at Forest.

Head coach Steve Cooper was eager to add Premier League expertise to his team, but Henderson was the only one with significant expertise.

During his time at United and West Ham, Lingard amassed 165 Premier League appearances. He also has 32 international caps for England.

David Moyes, the manager of the Hammers, is a significant fan of the player Jesse Lingard, who also received interest from teams in the US and the Middle East.

The Hammers were debating whether or not to make an improved bid to Lingard in the future.

Forest had already spent almost £70 million on nine players and brought in goalkeeper Dean Henderson on loan from Manchester United. However, the arrival of Lingard propels their campaign to a new level.

Forest is believed to have shown interest in Emmanuel Dennis of Watford and Maxwell Cornet of Burnley. Marinakis senior has bankrolled a massive summer spending binge to try to establish Forest in the top division.