Nottingham Forest are facing more frustrations in their chase for a midfielder after having an offer turned down for Hayden Hackney.
Boss Sean Dyche wants to sign a new midfielder before Monday’s 7pm deadline and bolster their survival hopes.
The club are six points clear of the drop zone and are currently the fifth favourite to face the drop, ahead of West Ham and Leeds.
Forest have already faced disappointment in their hopes to sign a midfielder after having a bid rejected by Celtic for Arne Engels.
Celtic turned down an improved £17.3million offer for the 22-year-old, and insist he’s not for sale this month.
Nottingham Forest Turn To Hayden Hackney
According to reports, Forest have turned their attentions to Middlesbrough talisman Hackney.
Hackey has starred in Middlesbrough’s promotion push, having started in every league fixture so far and has been linked with West Ham and Manchester United.
Rated at around £30million, Boro will not want to lose their key man while they currently sit level on points with Coventry at the top of the table.
Boss Kim Hellberg was asked about his future earlier in the window, but remained confident he’ll keep him until at least the summer.
He said: “I like him very much and if I could decide I would say ‘not for sale!’ But that will not come down to me.
“But I think he wants to stay here, you can see him being very, very happy and how he works. So hopefully he’s with us this year and further on.”
Reports suggest Forest have had a bid rejected for the 23-year-old, who wants to stay and help fire his boyhood club to the Premier League.
If they fail to achieve top-flight football, then he’s expected to depart when he enters the final 12 months of his contract in the summer.
Sean Dyche States Transfer Ambitions
Forest have added two new players during the winter window in striker Lorenzo Lucca and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega from Manchester City.
However, Dyche wants three more, including another forward and a left-back.
He said: “There has been noise about (strengthening) up front, and then all of a sudden T (Taiwo Awoniyi) pops up with a goal (against Brentford) and reminds us that he’s capable. And then we have got big Lucca come in as well.
“Different areas of the pitch. Left-back is possibly an area we could look at and midfield to bolster it up. We still have a lot of games to play.
“There are varying things. We are being linked with loads of players, so we’ll see which ones we can land. There are two or three I know of, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to get them, and it doesn’t mean we are going to sign all of them either.”
