Nottingham Forest have joined Premier League rivals Brentford in the race to sign Salernitana forward Milan Djuric, according to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport.

The 32-year-old is set to become a free agent this summer following the expiration of his contract at the Serie A outfit, having spent four years at Davide Nicola's side.

He was a regular for his current club during the 2021/22 campaign, making 33 Italian top-tier appearances and recording a respectable five goals and five assists in the process and taking the step up to the top flight seamlessly after playing a big part in their promotion-winning 2020/21 season.

As per Gazzetta dello Sport (via Inside Futbol), his progress has been monitored by both Forest and the Bees after seeing him thrive, with both sides arguably in need of more options in their forward department for their respective causes.

With Keinan Davis returning to Aston Villa, they are in desperate need of adding more quality in this area with competition for the likes of Lewis Grabban and Sam Surridge needed if they are to remain afloat in the English top tier.

And this could mean a return to England for Djuric, who previously plied his trade at Bristol City during an 18-month spell between 2017 and 2018, recording six goals in 31 appearances for the Robins.

The Verdict:

Djuric may be a cheap addition and will be a better player after playing in Serie A last term - but does he really have the goalscoring pedigree to be one of the first names on the teamsheet for Forest or Brentford next term?

Probably not, although a move from the former for Davis would also be a risk considering his injury setbacks last season and the fact he isn't guaranteed to be a prolific goalscorer in the top tier.

Cooper's side are probably facing the reality of needing to pay out big bucks if they want a forward that is guaranteed to be a regular goalscoring at the top level - and this is why they may need to take a gamble on a cheap forward or two if they are to adequately address other areas as well.

The recruitment team will be tasked with this big responsibility of finding a forward that can help to keep Forest in the top tier, whilst also bearing in mind they don't have a bottomless pit of money to spend.

Djuric may be someone they take a chance on but at 32 and with little chance of selling him on for a huge amount in the future, would Dane Murphy be willing to sanction a move for the Bosnian. That's doubtful.