Nottingham Forest are expected to complete the signing of Cheikh Niasse from Lille on an initial season-long loan.

The 21-year-old has been highly-rated by the French champions, although he has had to go out on loan to get regular minutes in the past, which included a loan spell with Panathinaikos in the previous campaign.

And, Niasse appears to be on the move again, with reports from France claiming he is set to sign for the Reds on loan before the 11pm deadline.

Interestingly, they also add that Forest will have the option to bring the midfielder in on a permanent basis for €10m if they want.

Clearly, that would be a significant outlay for the Championship side, but it also shows the potential of Niasse, who has been linked with a host of clubs in recent weeks, including Brighton if they sold Yves Bissouma.

Chris Hughton had been desperate to strengthen his squad after a very tough start to the season that sees the east Midlands outfit bottom of the league and without a win after five games.

The verdict

This is a very exciting signing for Forest as Niasse is someone who has a lot of talent and it would be a coup to convince him to move to the Championship when you look at the clubs that were keen on him.

After a tough start, it's crucial that Forest made the signings they needed and fans will be pleased with the business that has been done in the final days.

This one would be an added bonus and it will now be an anxious wait to see if the move was finalised before the deadline.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.