Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough are both interested in Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien, journalist Alan Nixon has reported.

O'Brien only joined Forest in the summer transfer window, arriving from Huddersfield Town after helpng the Terriers to the Championship play-off final - where they lost to Forest - last season.

However, the 24-year-old has struggled for game time since his arrival at the City Ground, starting just six games in the Premier League, and only once since August.

As a result, it seems he could soon be back in the Championship, with it recently reported that West Brom are working on a deal for the midfielder.

However, it now seems they are not the only second-tier side keen on his services, with this latest report claiming that Middlesbrough have joined the race to sign O'Brien, with Blackburn also monitoring the situation.

It is thought that Forest are now set to decide which club to send the midfielder to for the second half of the season.

For his part, O'Brien is said to favour a move to West Brom, a deal which would reunite him with his former Huddersfield boss, Carlos Corberan.

The Verdict

It is perhaps no surprise that this level of interest is emerging in O'Brien.

All three of these interested sides are right in the battle for a play-off place this season, something the 24-year-old played a key role in for Huddersfield during the previous campaign.

As a result, it would be a major coup for any of these teams, to bring the midfielder in from Forest before the window closes, so you do feel they ought to be working hard on a deal.

The chance to reunite with Corberan, which was such an effective link-up last season, will doubtless be appealing for all involved though, meaning West Brom may well have the edge in this transfer battle.