Bundesliga strugglers Mainz 05 are weighing up a January move for Nigeria forward Taiwo Awoniyi as they search for goals and a way out of the relegation zone.
According to German football magazine Kicker, the club have identified the Nottingham Forest striker as a leading target ahead of the winter transfer window. Mainz sit bottom of the table and have struggled in front of goal this season, prompting an urgent push for attacking reinforcements as the second half of the campaign approaches.
Awoniyi, 28, has found minutes hard to come by at Forest and could be open to a return to Germany, where he enjoyed the most productive period of his career. The Nigerian international made his name in the Bundesliga with Union Berlin, scoring regularly and establishing himself as one of the league’s most effective forwards before moving to the Premier League.
A switch to Mainz would also bring a familiar face back into Awoniyi’s story. The club are coached by Urs Fischer, the man who helped shape the striker’s rise at Union Berlin.
That existing relationship, combined with Awoniyi’s proven Bundesliga pedigree, makes the move an appealing option for both player and club as Mainz fight for survival and Awoniyi looks to revive his momentum in a league he knows well.
