Brighton & Hove Albion forward Ryan Longman has emerged as a summer transfer target for Nottingham Forest, according to Football Insider.
The 20-year-old has made just one senior appearance for the Seagulls but in nine matches for their under-23's in the 2019-20 season, Longman scored three times and assisted a further four goals.
That development prompted Brighton to seek out an EFL loan last season for Longman, who ended up at League One side AFC Wimbledon and scored eight league goals for the Dons in 44 appearances.
Longman is now attracting interest from Forest as he enters the final year of his contract at the AMEX Stadium - even though one has been offered by Brighton he's still yet to sign one.
And should Forest firm their interest up with an offer for Longman then they'd be looking to bring a highly-versatile attacking player in - playing mostly as a striker for Wimbledon but also as a winger.
Both are areas that Chris Hughton will be looking to strengthen this summer, with the likes of Sammy Ameobi and Glenn Murray departing and Luke Freeman and Anthony Knockaert returning to their parent clubs.
The Verdict
This is the kind of signing that Forest need to be looking at this summer rather than players in their late 20's and 30's.
They've brought enough of those kinds of players in in recent years so bringing in a young player from a Premier League club who clearly has something about him would be a welcome change.
The likes of Lyle Taylor, Lewis Grabban and others don't really have much resale value but if they managed to get Longman over the line, then there is a player that can be developed and potentially sold for millions down the line.
It's a method that most Championship clubs should be looking at due to the losses many clubs at this level make financially, but for Longman himself it may also be a smart move to get himself out of Brighton.
It doesn't look as though he'll be in the senior squad anytime soon and playing against experienced defenders and full-backs as a Forest player could be better for his development than sticking to Brighton's under-23's or going out on loan again.