Nottingham Forest ace Brennan Johnson is said to remain the subject of strong interest from Premier League Brentford.
The 20-year-old has put in plenty of sparkling performances for the Reds this season, and that form hasn’t gone unnoticed by others.
Johnson has a long list of admirers, and the Bees have tried their luck before in a bid to sign him, having also been keen in the summer.
Forest head coach Steve Cooper has made clear there is no intention of letting the youngster go this month. But that message seemingly hasn’t stopped Brentford from sniffing around.
According to 90min, the top-flight outfit hope to “wrap up deals” for Johnson and Hull City’s Keane Lewis-Potter before the window closes in less than a fortnight’s time.
Since returning from an impressive spell on loan at Lincoln City, Johnson has become a key player in the Garibaldi.
He has chipped in with five goals and five assists in 26 Championship appearances as Forest have climbed up the table.
Everton, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are all said to have been keeping tabs on the Nigel Doughty Academy product.
And Burnley, Leeds United, Leicester City, Barnsley, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Brighton and Hove Albion have previously been linked.
The Wales international’s contract at the City Ground is set to expire in the summer of 2023, with talks over a fresh one having hit something of a stalemate.
It remains to be seen whether a significant bid would change the Reds’ stance, but so far there has been no indication they are willing to sell.
“Of course we want to keep him. I don’t want to lose anybody in January that I want to stay,” Cooper has said.
“I haven’t even thought about him leaving. I’ve just thought about how he gets better, how we support him, how we push him, how we challenge him and how we get him to strive to do even better than what he’s doing, because now is not the time for him to stand still - it’s the time for him to kick on even more.”
