Brentford have had two formal bids turned down for Nottingham Forest's Brennan Johnson, according to the Athletic.

Johnson is a player in demand after impressing on loan at Lincoln City last season, scoring 13 goals for the League One side.

The Wales international is now back at Forest for pre-season, looking to make his mark in the Championship in the forthcoming season.

But Johnson has been heavily linked with a move away from the City Ground this summer, with Leeds, Leicester and Brentford all being linked with his signature.

The Bees, according to the Athletic, already had a £3.5million offer turned down by the Reds.

At the weekend, Alan Nixon reported that the club were preparing a fresh £6million bid for the winger, and were also set to include a player in exchange.

But a new report from the Athletic claims that Forest have now rejected two formal offers for Johnson, as they look to cling onto the winger this summer.

It is understood that Forest are keen to hold talks over a new deal for Johnson ahead of the new season.

The Verdict

It's good to see Forest standing firm and not looking to sell Johnson at the first sight of pound signs, despite clearly struggling to bring players in this summer.

You feel that a big-money sale would really get the ball rolling in terms of incomings for the Reds, but they are keen to keep hold of Johnson.

It's understandable, too, as players of his quality and potential are hard to replace and he gives them exactly what they've been missing in recent seasons.