Brentford are said to be willing to pay a club record £15million fee for Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson.
But it is likely to take a bid of significantly more than that for the Reds to entertain any thoughts of letting him go.
Johnson has attracted a string of top-flight suitors with his excellent form this season, having already been the subject of plenty of interest in the summer.
The Bees were among those keen back then, and they continue to court the 20-year-old’s signature.
Forest, though, would not be prepared to discuss letting Johnson go “unless there was a bid of £18m”, according to The Athletic.
It is said the two clubs have also been unable to agree on a potential sell-on clause, with Brentford proposing a 10 per cent cut, but the Reds not prepared to budge unless a “higher fee and 15 per cent clause” is put forward.
Forest head coach Steve Cooper has previously said there is no intention of letting the youngster go - although it remains to be seen whether a substantial offer would change that stance.
“Of course we want to keep him. I don’t want to lose anybody in January that I want to stay,” Cooper has said.
“I haven’t even thought about him leaving. I’ve just thought about how he gets better, how we support him, how we push him, how we challenge him and how we get him to strive to do even better than what he’s doing, because now is not the time for him to stand still - it’s the time for him to kick on even more.”
Everton, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are all said to have been keeping tabs on the Nigel Doughty Academy product.
And Burnley, Leeds United, Leicester City, Barnsley, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Brighton and Hove Albion have previously been linked.
The Wales international’s contract at the City Ground is set to expire in the summer of 2023, with talks over a fresh one having hit something of a stalemate.
