Promotion chasers Nottingham Forest have been heavily linked with Burnley outcast Tom Heaton.

The ex-England goalkeeper has had to watch from the stands this season, with the experienced Joe Hart and youthful Nick Pope ahead of him in the pecking order.

This doesn’t mean, however, that Heaton is not of a good standard. In fact, he is an astute goalkeeper that wouldn’t look out of place in many sides in the country.

Nottingham Forest and Aitor Karanka seem to be the suitors for the Burnley star, wanting to replace the mistake-prone Costel Pantillimon, but other clubs, including Leeds, should act quick to prevent that deal from happening.

Leeds have been excellent this season, and currently sit top of the table, but the weak link in many games has been ‘keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

Although BPF has played a good role in the ‘playing out from the back’ policy, his shot-stopping and overall goalkeeping ability has been questioned.

Tom Heaton would be perfect for Leeds – he is the right age, commands his area, and is an expert shot stopper.

He was one of the main men in Burnley’s last promotion and their first season back in the top flight, but an injury saw him miss lots of last season, with youngster Nick Pope rising to prominence and earning a spot on the plane to Russia.

Although he hasn’t played much football in well over a year, Heaton would be a good fix for Leeds, and Marcelo Bielsa should do all in his power to prevent Forest from getting an easy ride to the ex-England keeper.