Nottingham Forest are reportedly at the 'front of the queue' to sign Everton central defender Michael Keane amid competition from as many as three other Premier League clubs.
Keane, 29, has made just three appearances in all competitions this season for Frank Lampard's side and played less than half an hour of Premier League football before the pause for the World Cup. An England international as recently as November 2020, an Everton loan exit now looms.
A permanent transfer could be prohibitive due to the three-and-a-half years remaining on the player's contract combined with the at least £25 million fee paid to Burnley five years ago. The Reds have also been linked with re-signing Jamaal Lascelles from Newcastle United, but that move appears to be a non-starter, with the skipper talking up staying at St James' Park for the foreseeable future.
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The Sunday Mirror newspaper report that Forest are 'facing competition' from Fulham, Leicester City and West Ham United, who are 'also eyeing moves' for Keane ahead of a winter transfer window during which the player is 'set to go out on loan'. Reds head coach Steve Cooper is, though, said to be 'at the front of the queue to take him' despite the defender spending six months on loan at East Midlands rivals Leicester almost a decade ago.
What defender, if any, do you want Forest to sign during January? Have your say in the comments...
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