Nottingham Forest have now reached a verbal agreement to sign a highly rated young midfielder.
Finally, they look set to complete a deal for the Colombian.
The 23-year-old is already expected in Nottingham for a medical.
He is also due to sign his contract during that visit.
Further confirmation has now arrived from Colombia.
This confirmation shows that the agreement itself is firmly in place.
Pipe Sierra has brought the latest update on the Forest interest.
He confirms that a verbal agreement has been reached for Puerta.
The midfielder is set to become a player within Evangelos Marinakis’ group.
The overall plan remains exactly the same as before.
Puerta will sign permanently for Nottingham Forest first.
He will then spend this season on loan at Olympiacos.
That loan move will allow him to feature in the Europa League.
There is another important detail in the structure of the transfer.
Sierra has confirmed that the deal will be completed by paying the midfielder’s release clause.
This approach removes any need for prolonged negotiations with his current club.
The situation ties in directly with comments made by Marinakis only a couple of days ago.
The Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos owner spoke at the weekend about the player.
He revealed that he had been prepared to pay Puerta’s €16m (£13.8m) clause.
At that stage the intention was to take the midfielder to Greece.
Things looked very different at that point in time.
Marinakis publicly expressed his frustration over the developments.
“We paid Puerta’s €16m (£13.8m) clause and he isn’t coming, he wants to go to Benfica. What more can be done?” he said.
Those words suggested the deal was slipping away.
Quite a lot could still be done, as it turned out.
The situation has turned around completely since those remarks.
Forest are now closing in on signing Puerta on a permanent basis.
Olympiacos will still secure his services for the coming season.
This outcome represents a significant shift in the transfer race.
Benfica had appeared to have won the battle only days earlier.
Marinakis himself had sounded resigned to missing out on the player.
Instead the Forest owner and his group have found a workable solution.
They will pay the release clause in full.
Forest will complete the permanent signing of the Colombian.
Olympiacos will then take him on loan for their Europa League campaign.
The arrangement keeps the player within the wider Marinakis network.
It also gives Olympiacos an immediate boost in midfield options.
Forest secure a long-term asset who can develop away from the Premier League pressure for now.
Puerta still needs to complete his medical in Nottingham.
He must also put pen to paper on the relevant contracts.
Only then will the verbal agreement become a fully completed transfer.
Until those final steps are taken the deal remains subject to formalities.
The speed of the turnaround has surprised many observers.
What looked like a lost cause for the Marinakis clubs has been revived.
Paying the release clause has proved the decisive move.
It has allowed Forest to step in and secure the permanent registration.
The subsequent loan to Olympiacos satisfies the original desire to have him available in Greece.
Both clubs within the group stand to benefit from the structure.
Forest add a young midfielder with potential to their squad list.
Olympiacos gain a ready-made option for European competition this term.
The Colombian will gain regular minutes in a competitive environment.
That experience could prepare him for a future role at the City Ground.
Supporters of both clubs will now watch the medical process closely.
Any successful completion will mark the end of a turbulent few days of speculation.
The public comments from Marinakis had suggested the window of opportunity had closed.
Yet the group has demonstrated its ability to react quickly when required.
Paying the full €16m clause removes uncertainty from the negotiations.
It also sends a clear message about the seriousness of their interest.
Benfica’s apparent advantage has been overturned in a short space of time.
The Portuguese club now look set to miss out on a target they had been strongly linked with.
For Forest the permanent registration offers long-term value.
Even if Puerta spends the first season elsewhere, the club retains control of his future.
Olympiacos, meanwhile, receive an injection of quality without a permanent outlay.
The loan arrangement fits neatly with the dual-club ownership model.
Players can move between the two sides according to sporting need.
In this case the priority is clear for the current campaign.
Europa League football provides a high-level platform for the midfielder.
It also allows him to adapt to European football under familiar ownership.
Once the medical and contracts are sorted the transfer will be rubber-stamped.
Until then the verbal agreement stands as the strongest indication yet of progress.
The coming days will determine whether everything proceeds as planned.
All parties appear aligned on the structure of the move.
That alignment has been the key factor in turning the situation around.
What began as a potential disappointment has become a coordinated group acquisition.
Gustavo Puerta is now on the verge of joining the Marinakis setup.
His first destination will be Olympiacos rather than the City Ground.
The permanent home, however, will be Nottingham Forest.
That dual arrangement captures the essence of the entire deal.