With the current season nearly over and Nottingham Forest sitting in mid-table with little to play for but pride, attention might already have been diverted towards a summer of transfer activity.

Next summer could be make or break for Forest ahead of the 2018/19 Championship campaign.

A positive summer where they add four or five quality players to their ranks and keep hold of their stars could mean that they are competing for promotion by this time next year.

However, if Aitor Karanka cannot land his top targets or if he recruits poorly, then the Reds could find themselves stuck in a relegation battle as they were last term.

Karanka needs to be given some backing to get his top targets so that Forest can improve and he will already have drawn up a list of names.

Here are four English players that Nottingham Forest should keep their tabs on and considering swooping for.

Michael Dawson was a major target for Nottingham Forest in January and Karanka is likely to revisit this move.

The 34-year-old is currently at Hull and has plenty of experience of playing at the top level with over 300 Tottenham games under his belt and four caps for England.

Moreover, the centre half is a leader at the back and he would probably be open to a return to his first ever club.

If Forest fail to land Dawson, they should make enquiries for West Ham's Reece Burke.

The 21-year-old is tall and powerful and he has been impressive for Bolton Wanderers on loan this season.

With lots of defenders blocking his route to West Ham's first team, Forest could look to sign Burke as a long term solution to their defensive problems.

Adam Clayton worked with Karanka at Middlesbrough and he could be interested in reuniting with his former boss at Forest.

The 29-year-old has bags of experience and is still one of the best midfielders at this level.

He was frozen out of the Boro squad earlier this season but has made a return to first team action so Forest face a battle to snap him up, especially if Tony Pulis' side fail to win promotion.

Ben Brereton is feeling the pressure of being Forest's main striker while Daryl Murphy is passed his best.

Jack Marriott would be an excellent acquisition as the striker has been in red hot form for Peterborough this season.

With 26 goals and five assists to his name in League One this term, the 23-year-old is the leading scorer in the third tier and he is likely to be in high demand this summer.