After what was a fairly hectic summer transfer window on Trentside, it is likely that Chris Hughton will want to trim his Nottingham Forest squad in January.

The Reds made 14 new signings over the course of the summer as they looked to recover from a heartbreaking end to last season, culminating in a seventh-placed finish.

Over 30 first-team players now find themselves on the books at the City Ground, and naturally, a number of those players have failed to make an impact and will be keen to leave next month.

One player who is currently impressing away from the club is Danny Preston, with the left-back thriving on loan in League Two.

The full-back - who is yet to make a senior appearance for the Reds - joined Ian Holloway's Grimsby Town on a season-long loan deal in September, in search of regular game time.

Preston has since become a key player for the Mariners, making 20 appearances in all competitions and earning rave reviews.

So much so, that, according to Daniel Taylor of the Athletic, a number of EFL sides are keen on signing the young defender.

Preston's future at the City Ground looks uncertain. His contract runs out at the end of the season, and it remains to be seen whether he is offered a new deal before then.

Forest have a number of options in defence, particularly at left-back, with the likes of Gaetan Bong, Yuri Ribeiro and Nicholas Ioannou all ahead of Preston in the pecking order.

Tyler Blackett was also brought in in the summer, and the defender will be keen to add competition to that area of the pitch when he returns from injury.

But whilst it may seem a pretty straight-forward decision to let Preston leave with his contract running out, Forest should resist and look to keep him.

The Reds have established themselves as a club who take great pride in developing homegrown youngsters, with the likes of Matty Cash, Joe Worrall and Ben Osborn all emerging from the academy in recent years.

Preston represents a young, up and coming option for the Reds, and with the likes of Bong approaching the latter stages of their career, he could be seen as a long-term replacement.