Nottingham Forest have reportedly identified Leicester City midfielder Boubakary Soumare as a potential transfer target.
Head coach Steve Cooper has been given the freedom to make widespread changes to his first-team squad ahead of the club's return to the Premier League.
As it stands, as many as 15 fresh faces have arrived at the City Ground, and many of them have contributed to a strong start to the campaign.
Forest have collected four points from fixtures against Newcastle United, West Ham United and Everton, conceding just three times during that triple-header.
However, Cooper seemingly remains keen to strengthen his squad before the start of September, and that could involve looking to sign a player who is already in the East Midlands.
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According to Foot Mercato, Forest have joined the race to secure a deal for Soumare over the coming week.
The Frenchman arrived at the King Power Stadium with big expectations after establishing himself in the first team at Lille.
However, the 23-year-old was limited to 12 starts and seven substitute appearances in the Premier League during 2021-22, with four of his nine outings in Europe also coming as a replacement.
Furthermore, boss Brendan Rodgers is yet to hand Soumare any minutes during Leicester's opening three fixtures of the new season, a clear sign that the club are open to offers for his signature.
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Should the Foxes allow Soumare to depart the club before the start of September, they will expect to recoup the £17m that they shelled out for the player just over 12 months ago.
Crystal Palace are also said to be monitoring the situation with head coach Patrick Vieira open to adding another option in the middle of the pitch.
As well as the two English clubs, Roma may also make a formal approach with Georginio Wijnaldum having been ruled out for the foreseeable future with a fractured leg.
Finding an alternative for the Netherlands international is arguably made more complicated by the Paris Saint-Germain man already taking up one of Roma's loan slots for 2022-23.
Darren Plant
