Nottingham Forest are interested in Derby County's Lee Buchanan as they look to bring in a left-back this summer.

It's no secret that Chris Hughton wants to strengthen that area of the team going into the new season, with a host of full-backs having been linked with a move to the City Ground.

And, the latest could be a controversial one, with Sun reporter Alan Nixon claiming the Reds want to bring in Buchanan from their bitter rivals.

The 20-year-old enjoyed a real breakthrough campaign last time out, featuring in 35 games for Wayne Rooney's side as they survived in the Championship on the final day.

Despite their struggles, Buchanan did impress on occasions and his form has seemingly caught the eye of Forest.

It's unclear what sort of fee Forest would be willing to pay for the player, although they may hope to take advantage of the off-field uncertainty that has hindered Rooney's pre-season preparations.

Buchanan has been at Derby since he was a young kid, whilst he has represented England at U21 level.

The verdict

Firstly, from a football perspective you'd have to say that this would be a good move for Forest as they need a left-back and Buchanan is a young player with huge potential.

Of course, it's not as simple as that with the two clubs involved and you can be sure that Derby won't want to lose an academy product to their local rivals.

So, it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming days and whether Forest return with a formal offer for the defender.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.