Nottingham Forest are set to battle it out with West Ham United for New York City FC striker Valentin Castellanos, as per a report from The Sun. 

It would seem that the Reds would be at a disadvantage with the Hammers operating in the higher tier, but the report suggests that the London club view Castellanos as a back up to Michail Antonio. 

The report also states that Forest would be willing to pay up to £8 million for the frontman's services, whilst Turkish giants Besiktas are also in pursuit. 

 

 

The 23-year-old finished as the MLS' top scorer last season, netting 19 goals to take home the golden boot award. 

It remains to be seen if this initial interest could alert other clubs of his availability, as it could become a difficult deal for Forest to strike. 

The verdict 

It is evident why Forest are an interested party and have joined the chase for the impressive 23-year-old. 

It does appear that a striker is high up on Forest's transfer wish-list as January nears, with several strikers now linked with a move to The City Ground. 

It was a similar story in the summer, but Forest were unable to bring an out-and-out forward to Nottingham.

It is easy to forget that Lewis Grabban has made a good start to the season, netting nine goals already in the Championship, scoring at a rate of one goal every 147 minutes. 

However, a forward who offers a different type of service to the vastly experienced forward would certainly bolster their frontline.