Nottingham Forest are reportedly eyeing up Newcastle United midfielder Jack Colback as a replacement for Ben Watson, should the 34-year-old leave the club this summer.

Watson has been a key man under Sabri Lamouchi this term, featuring in every Championship game and pulling the strings in central midfield, but his current deal expires at the end of the month.

According to The Athletic, the midfielder is expected to remain with Forest until the end of the 2019/20 campaign but could leave in the summer with Charlton Athletic and QPR among the clubs ready to offer him a deal.

The report claims that should Watson leave the club this summer, Forest will look to sign Colback as his replacement.

The 30-year-old spent the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons on loan with the East Midlands club and is set to become a free agent at the end of the month.

Colback was a key man for the Reds last term, featuring 39 times, but was not included in Newcastle's Premier League squad this season.

In fact, the midfielder has not featured for the North East club since the end of the 2016/17 campaign.

Forest will hope that any moves they make this summer will be in preparation for a return to the Premier League as they're fifth in the Championship with nine games left of the season.

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The Verdict 

Watson's influence on the Forest side this season should not be underestimated and losing him would be a blow.

The East Midlands club know Colback, so signing him as a free agent would make sense.

However, if they are preparing for a season in the Premier League, they should look to be a bit more ambitious in my eyes.

It will be interesting to see how the situation plays out moving forward.