Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City look set to miss out on Chelsea defender Jake Clarke-Salter as Football Insider has reported that the 22-year-old is in talks to join Ligue 1 side Brest and the deal could be sealed this week.

Forest have been busy in the current transfer window, with nine players arriving at the City Ground over the summer and a fair few leaving the club, while Aitor Karanka has also been proactive when it comes to signings since taking charge of the Blues.

With the window set to close in October, both may look to add more reinforcements but it appears they're set to miss out on Clarke-Salter.

According to Football Insider, Forest and Birmingham have been among a number of clubs keen to take the central defender on loan.

The report claims, however, that the 22-year-old is in talks to join French top-flight side Brest and that his move to the Ligue 1 club could be completed later this week.

Forest have made a shaky start to the season, suffering their third defeat in three games against Cardiff City on Saturday.

Birmingham, on the other hand, are unbeaten in the Championship under Karanka – beating Brentford 1-0 on the opening weekend and holding Swansea City to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Have Nottingham Forest ever loaned out any of these 9 players?

 

 

The Verdict

Clarke-Salter was hugely impressive for Birmingham last season and he would certainly have been an asset for both Forest and the Blues.

Both clubs have signed central defenders already during this window but neither experienced Birmingham addition George Friend or 19-year-old Forest signing Loïc Mbe Soh are likely to play at the Chelsea man's level of consistency this season.

It's undoubtedly a major blow for both but they have time to find useful alternatives, so they can bounce back.