Nottingham Forest have their sights set 'firmly' on signing Newcastle United forward Dwight Gayle on loan in January, a source close to the club has exclusively informed Football League World Chief Editor Sam Rourke.

The Reds are expected to add a new forward to their ranks in January, as Sabri Lamouchi looks to provide competition for Lewis Grabban up top.

The club bid farewell to the likes of Hillal Soudani, Daryl Murphy, Apostolos Vellios and Jason Cummings over the course of the summer, but Rafa Mir is their only real back-up option after failing to bring in another centre-forward.

A source close to the club, though, has informed Chief Editor Sam Rourke that Forest have their sights set 'firmly' on signing Gayle on loan in the January transfer window.

The 29-year-old is a proven goalscorer at Championship level, scoring 23 goals in 34 games as Newcastle United won the Sky Bet Championship league title in 2016/17.

More recently, he scored 24 goals in 41 appearances for West Bromwich Albion, as the Baggies missed out on promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs last term.

But since returning to St. James' Park, Gayle has made only three Premier League appearances for the Magpies, falling behind the likes of Joelinton and Miguel Almiron in the pecking order under Steve Bruce.

All three of those appearances came from off the bench, making a January exit looking increasingly likely. West Brom have been linked with a move to re-sign the striker, with a move to the Chinese Super League also being mentioned.

But Forest, who sit in a very promising league position heading into December, are believed to be keen on signing the proven forward, as they look to make a long-awaited return to the Premier League.