A League One loan is being sought for Nottingham Forest youngster Riley Harbottle ahead of the upcoming season.
The 22-year-old spent the 2022/23 campaign with Mansfield Town, making 37 appearances for the League Two side as they narrowly missed out on the play-offs. Manager Nigel Clough had been keen to get him back this summer.
Clough has already signed Will Swan from the Reds, after he also had a successful loan spell. But he says it is unlikely Harbottle will be linking up with his former teammate again when the transfer window officially opens next week.
“I saw Riley last week but I don't think the plan has changed for him to go to the next level,” Clough told the Mansfield Chad. “If we'd been promoted it might have been a different story.
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“I don't think we can wait either for them to say in July or August that he is available again to League Two. They are trying to get League One for him which, having played 30-odd games and scored six goals, is very understandable.”
Swan’s move to One Call Stadium was announced last month. And Clough added: “I was very pleased to get Will Swan on a permanent.”
Forest head coach Steve Cooper has said the futures of young players who have returned from loans will be assessed as part of the club’s summer work. Some joined in training with the first-team in the closing weeks of the campaign after the Football League fixtures had finished.
"The boys who have been back so far are some of the younger ones,” Cooper said prior to the final-day clash at Crystal Palace. “The likes of Riley, Swanny came back for a bit, Dale (Taylor), the 21s lads who went out on their first loans they have come back and have been training with us for a few weeks after the EFL finished.
"That will be part of the job, looking after everybody. There needs to be the right programme, the right plans and decisions made on everybody that belongs to the club.”
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