Nottingham Forest striker Lyle Taylor is not on Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill's shopping list at the moment, according to the Stoke Sentinel

The 31-year-old joined Forest last summer but found opportunities hard to come by – starting just 15 Championship games and mostly playing second fiddle to Lewis Grabban.

Last week, the Mirror reported that the Potters were keen on snapping up Taylor from their second tier rivals and were set to open talks concerning the striker.

However, the Stoke Sentinel has reported that the Forest forward is not on O'Neill's shopping list at present despite the Northern Irish coach looking to add reinforcements in the final third this summer.

It is understood that the Potters were keen last summer when he was out of contract but it seems that is no longer the case.

The 31-year-old scored just five times in his first season with Forest but was much more prolific during his time at Charlton, bagging 35 goals for them – including 11 in 22 Championship games.

Taylor only has one year left on his current deal at the City Ground, which means this summer is likely the Reds last chance to try and cash in on him.

Additionally, Chris Hughton may be keen to get his reported £15,000 per week salary off the wage bill and clear some space to freshen up his striking unit.

The Verdict

It seems that, for the time being, Taylor is not a player on O'Neill's summer shopping list.

That is perhaps not a huge surprise given he's on £15,000 per week and as football finance expert Kieran Maguire indicated previously, the Potters' hefty wage bill is what is causing them some financial issues at the moment.

This will likely be a blow for Forest as you feel it would've made sense for them to try to capitalise on Stoke's interest and offload the 31-year-old this summer.

Taylor may not be a target but it will likely please the Bet365 Stadium faithful to hear that their manager does want to add more firepower.