Championship side Nottingham Forest are planning on making a renewed effort to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff, according to the print edition of the Sunday Mirror (January 23, page 72).

The Reds were linked with a loan swoop this month for the 24-year-old in the current transfer window last month, however a permanent switch is now being touted.

Longstaff has featured 15 times in the Premier League for the Magpies this season but since Eddie Howe arrived as the manager he has not been a regular feature, receiving just five appearances.

Howe is willing to let Longstaff go though this month according to the report, with Forest a potential destination and a £2 million fee has been touted.

That is a big decrease from the apparent £50 million that was touted for his services back in the summer of 2019 when Manchester United were interested, but Longstaff has featured in just 60 top flight matches out of a possible 94 since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.

The Verdict

You wouldn't think that a central midfielder would be at the top of Forest's priorities all things considered.

Ryan Yates, Jack Colback, on-loan James Garner, Cafu and Braian Ojeda make up a solid group but of course Garner will head back to Manchester United in the summer, Colback is in his 30's and Yates has filled in at centre-back quite a bit recently.

So it may not be as bizarre a transfer move as first thought, and if it will only take a £2 million fee then it is worth the gamble for a player who definitely has top flight quality.

Longstaff needs to revitalise his career and it's clear to see that he won't be a massive part of Newcastle's future plans, so the City Ground could be an ideal destination.