Nottingham Forest's search for a striker is way underway but it doesn't appear as though they will be signing Jonathan Kodjia.

The Aston Villa striker, who is out of contract in the summer, has been linked with a move to the City Ground in the past few weeks as Sabri Lamouchi seeks competition for Lewis Grabban.

However, Sun reporter Tom Barclay has revealed that the Ivory Coast international is in talks for a move to Qatar.

"I'm told Jonathan Kodjia is in talks over a move to Al Gharafa, the Qatari side managed by Slavisa Jokanovic."

That would be a big blow for the Reds as it would be tough for them to match any contract offer from the Al Gharafa given the resources they have.

Kodjia has proven himself in the Championship over the years, scoring 19 goals in his first season with Bristol City which saw him earn a big-money move to Villa, with the 30-year-old playing a part as they won promotion to the Premier League last season.

But, he has featured in just six Premier League games for Dean Smith this season.

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The verdict

This would be a setback for Forest as Kodjia looks to be a good fit for them on paper as he isn't someone who would expect to start ahead of Grabban but could do a job and is versatile.

Having said that, every player has a price and it seems unlikely that the Reds will be able to match any fee or in particular the wages that are on offer in Qatar.

So, it's a case of moving on and they need to try and close a deal for another target quickly.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.