With the January transfer window fast approaching, Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos on loan, according to reports from Greek media outlet Sportime.

The 22-year-old has made eight senior appearances for Arsenal and has featured just once for the Gunners so far this season - in the Europa League last week.

With the likes of Sokartis, David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi ahead of him in the pecking order, he could be open to a loan move to the City Ground, but the left-sided centre-back is also thought to have attracted the attention of Greek giants Olympiacos.

If Forest cannot sign Mavropanos in January, here are TWO alternatives they could target instead...

Ezri Konsa

Ezri Konsa was an extremely important player for Brentford in the Championship last season, but things didn't work out for him straight away after he made the move to Aston Villa in the summer.

The 22-year-old has made six Premier League appearance for Aston Villa this season, but he had wait until November to make his first start in the competition.

After a run of five league starts, he returned to the bench against Sheffield United at the weekend and if he's unable to force his way back into the team soon, perhaps he may be open to going out on loan in January.

This might seem like a bit of an ambitious move from Forest, given that Konsa only made the move to Villa Park in the summer, but he's a promising defender he's got plenty of experience in the Championship, so he should be able to make an impact for the Reds.

Can you get 16 out of 16 on this Nottingham Forest quiz? 

Ciaran Clark

Ciaran Clark is a good defender and he's got plenty of experience. He may be coming towards the end of his career, but he's more than capable of making an impact in the Championship.

He's not afraid to get stuck in and he's also a real leader on the pitch. He's also won the Championship title before with Newcastle, he'd be a very smart addition for the Reds in that sense, as they are hoping to challenge for promotion.

The problem for Forest of course is that after a bit of slow start to the season, Clark has started to force his way into Steve Bruce's first-team plans at St James' Park. If that changes though, there's a chance he could be open to a loan move.