Nottingham Forest are set to give Nicholas Ioannou the opportunity to prove himself in pre-season, according to a report from the Nottingham Post.

Ioannou is set to return to the City Ground when his loan deal with Serie B side Como 1907 expires in June.

It is understood that the left-back's future with Forest will be determined by how he gets on this summer ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The 26-year-old's deal at Forest is set to run until 2023 and thus the club will have an opportunity to sell him for a reasonable fee if he fails to impress.

Ioannou is also set to be directly involved in discussions with head coach Steve Cooper later this year as he aims to resolve his current situation at the club.

After being limited to five appearances in the Championship last season, the defender was loaned out to Como 1907 last year.

During his time with the Italian side, Ioannou has played 27 games for the club in all competitions.

In the absence of the defender, Forest have managed to push forward as a team under the guidance of Cooper.

Currently fifth in the Championship standings, the Reds will be looking to get back to winning ways this evening following their recent defeat to Luton Town when they take on West Bromwich Albion.

The Verdict

This is a relatively surprising update as Ioannou's future at Forest looked bleak after the club sanctioned a temporary exit for him.

Yet with Max Lowe set to return to Sheffield United when his loan deal expires after the current campaign, the Reds will be short of options at left-back and thus there is no harm in seeing whether Ioannou has improved as a player in recent months.

If Cooper believes that the defender is good enough to feature on a regular basis next season, he could potentially save some funds that would have been used to bolster his squad in this area.

Alternatively, Forest could use the money generated from Ioannou's permanent departure to strengthen their side if the defender fails to make a positive impression in pre-season.