This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Nottingham Forest are interested in a summer move for Barnsley star Callum Styles, as per a report from the Yorkshire Post.
The initial report has claimed that Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros have already made contact regarding a potential move for the 22-year-old.
A further development in this story is that Forest's promotion-achieving counterparts, Bournemouth and Fulham, are also in pursuit of the versatile option.
A regular for the Tykes over the last couple of years, Styles is now a Hungarian international after finding out he qualified through his grandmother.
Three of our writers here at FLW have shared their thoughts regarding Forest's interest in the Barnsley man...
Carla Devine
Despite being part of a struggling Barnsley side this season, Callum Styles has been a standout player and deserves the step back up from League One following the Tykes’ relegation.
The 22-year-old has proven to be a versatile player and may be able to provide help in a left wing-back role where Forest will be looking at strengthening anyway.
Furthermore at such a young age, Styles still has plenty of potential to grow his game further and Steve Cooper has proven he had the ability to develop these talents. Therefore, you can see them matching up well.
The only reservations I’d have is over whether he’ll be ready for the step up to Premier League football yet and if the youngster won’t be a regular player, would it be better to take a Championship move but play more frequently?
Ned Holmes
As a long-term addition, Callum Styles could prove to be a smart bit of business for Nottingham Forest but I'm not sure he should be a top priority this summer.
In my eyes, Steve Cooper's squad needs a fair bit of work to make it Premier League ready and that has to be their main focus over the coming weeks.
Styles is a really talented player and I don't doubt Cooper could help him take his game up a level but is he ready to make a regular impact at Premier League level? I'm not sure.
If a deal is there to be struck with Barnsley after their relegation then it's something that Forest should assess but their top priority has to be making their squad Premier League ready for 2022/23.
I'm not sure signing Styles helps too much in that regard.
Adam Jones
Able to play both in midfield and at wing-back, he would be a Jack Colback-like addition that could do a job in many places, potentially becoming crucial when injuries start to kick in.
At 22 as well, he's only likely to get better and may develop more over the summer during his time with the Hungary national team, so Steve Cooper's side should be keeping close tabs on him.
However, it would be a big ask for the 22-year-old to become a regular Premier League starter at this stage and this is why they should probably choose to put him on the bench at first before deciding whether he's ready to be heavily involved.
It's hard to say whether he should be high on their targets list at this stage - but he could help to address the left wing-back area where they desperately need options.