Nottingham Forest are rumoured to be interested in a deal to sign Reading defender Tom Holmes, according to Berkshire Live.

Holmes has been with Reading since coming through the club's academy ranks, and he's gone on to make 40 appearances in the 2020/21 season for the Berkshire-based side.

The defender operated at both centre-back and right-back last term, as the Royals dealt with some injury problems during last year's campaign.

But he certainly didn't look out of place by any stretch of the imagination, and it appears as though his strong performances haven't gone unnoticed.

Nottingham Forest are rumoured to be keen on reaching an agreement with the 21-year-old, who has just one year remaining on his contract with the Royals.

Forest finished 17th in the Championship table last term, and are clearly keen to add depth to their squad, with Holmes being among their summer transfer targets.

We take a look at THREE reasons why Nottingham Forest's pursuit of Holmes makes perfect sense ahead of the new Championship season.

He's shown he can perform to a high standard at this level 

There will have been questions as to whether Holmes would have been a good enough option to have on a regular basis in the Championship when he came into the side during the 2020/21 season.

His only other previous experience in senior football was with Belgian side K.S.V. Roeselare, which wasn't exactly at the highest level. But Holmes more than stepped up to the mark when needed for Veljko Paunovic's side, as they narrowly missed out on a top-six finish in the second-tier last term.

With an average Whoscored rating of 6.60, it makes for good reading for the Reading defende.r

Holmes could be available on a cut-price deal

Holmes only has one year remaining on his contract with Reading, which could mean that he's available for a much cheaper fee than he would be if the defender had a long-term contract with the Royals.

The Berkshire-based side won't want to be losing another player on a free in the summer when their contracts expire, having already dealt with similar with Omar Richards, who completed a move to German giants Bayern Munich at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

It shows forward thinking in the long-term from Forest

Holmes is only 21, and is still somewhat of a raw talent that could develop into a fine player at Championship level in future seasons.

Nottingham Forest's recruitment has been questionable in recent seasons, but being linked to the likes of Holmes and Josh Laurent in recent days, it shows that the club are on the right pathway to sensible spending moving forwards.

It'll be pleasing to see for the club's supporters.