Nottingham Forest have made preparations to bid for Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope in the upcoming transfer window, according to a report.
The 30-year-old was one of the few bright sparks as the Clarets suffered relegation to the Championship during the 2021-22 campaign, regularly impressing between the posts as he battled to keep his side in the top flight.
However, following their drop to the second tier, Burnley look to have a fight on their hands to keep the England international at Turf Moor next season, with several clubs said to be interested in his signature this summer.
Newly-promoted Forest are the latest to join the race for Pope, with The Sun reporting that the Reds are planning on making a bid for the shot stopper in the coming weeks.
However, the report claims that Steve Cooper's side are going to make an offer well below Burnley's £40m valuation of the goalkeeper, meaning it is likely that it will be immediately rejected by the Lancashire outfit, whilst fellow promoted side Fulham are also rivalling for his signature.
Those close to Pope believe a fee of around £10m can be negotiated for their client, although the report claims that this is unlikely to be sufficient to bring Burnley to the negotiating table.
Cooper is believed to be keen on bringing in competition for current number one Brice Samba, whose heroics in the penalty shootout of the Championship playoff semi-final against Sheffield United helped take Forest to Wembley back in May, where they beat Huddersfield Town to end their 23-year wait for a return to the Premier League.
Matthew Tranter
