Lorenzo Lucca says Nottingham Forest was his "first choice" after joining them on loan from Napoli.

The Italian joined Forest until the end of the season, with the Premier League club having the option to buy the striker.

Lucca initially signed for Napoli in July 2025 on loan from Udinese and scored two goals for them in 23 appearances in all competitions.

The reigning Serie A champions made the deal permanent on Friday, with the towering striker then immediately making the switch to the City Ground.

"I'm very proud to wear this important, historic shirt and playing in the Premier League is an honour for me," Lucca said in his first interview with Forest.

"It's an honour that the club and the staff have given me this opportunity, and I hope to pay them back for their trust with lots of goals.

"I'm well aware of this club. I wanted to come, they wanted me a lot, so it was a choice from the heart because I really wanted to come here, and I want to give everything for the team, and most importantly, to be helpful for the whole group.

"As I said before, as soon as Nottingham Forest called me with the chance to play in the Premier League, it was my first choice because playing in the Premier League has been a dream of mine since I was a child. And again, I want to thank the club and all the staff for giving me this chance."

Lucca made 16 appearances in Serie A in 2025-26, but only started four of those, netting one goal.

Prior to his move to Napoli, Lucca netted 23 goals in all competitions for Udinese, including 14 in 2024-25.

"I'm a hungry player, willing to prove myself, score goals and help the team win as many games as possible," Lucca added.