With the summer transfer window now officially open, one of the big Nottingham Forest talking points is the future of defender Joe Worrall.
The centre-back’s form has once again seen him catch the eye of Premier League clubs, having picked up two Player of the Year awards from Reds supporters.
The chances are Forest will have their resolve tested and have a decision to make at some point over the coming weeks.
Burnley seem the most likely to show their hand - but that could depend on the situation around boss Sean Dyche’s contract.
Norwich City, Crystal Palace and West Ham United have also all understood to have been casting admiring glances towards the 24-year-old. And newly-promoted Brentford are said to be the latest club to show an interest as they prepare for life in the top-flight.
Worrall is under contract at the City Ground until 2024 and it is thought it would take a bid of between £10-12m to try to prise him away, so the Reds are in a strong position, particularly as interest grows.
The Clarets could be the ones to watch out for, however.
They have been monitoring Worrall for a long time and made a play to sign him last summer, only to be turned down.
Any attempt to try again seems unlikely to happen until Dyche’s future is resolved.
The manager is in the final year of his deal at Turf Moor and has recently been linked with a number of other jobs.
However, LancsLive report while Dyche had grown frustrated at the lack of spending under the previous board, he is said to now be in agreement with chairman Alan Pace on how best to move the club forward.
It is said Burnley are “increasingly confident” Dyche will put pen to paper on a contract extension, adding “there is a belief that securing the manager’s future needs to be done before entering the transfer market”.
Strengthening at centre-back is one of the priorities for the Clarets this summer, with Pace said to be prepared to back the boss, who “wants to stretch the finances of the club”.
Among the other teams interested in Worrall, the Hammers have been linked in the past, too, and are understood to have put out tentative feelers.
It was thought the Canaries may not be prepared to spend big when it comes to splashing the cash after their title-winning campaign. Whether the club record sale of Emi Buendia to Aston Villa, for a reported initial £33m, changes that remains to be seen - but that link is nevertheless thought not to be as strong as others.
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For his part, Worrall has played down any speculation, saying at the end of the season: “It’s the same with any player under the age of 24! It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got two left feet or whatever, you’re always getting linked with whoever - more so in League One.
“If you play in League One, you’re automatically linked with a Premier League club, I think.
“That’s just the way football is, and it won’t change.
“Alex Mighten, Brennan Johnson, Ryan Yates, Joe Worrall - all young lads just get linked with moves everywhere.
“The media push the stories. Some of them are true, some of them aren’t.
“It’s up to Forest and, at the end of the day, me, if interest does come in, to make decisions.”
And boss Chris Hughton has said: “There’s always speculation about Joe Worrall.
“That’s not something I think about.
“Joe’s been fabulous for us. Unfortunately for Joe, he’s missed more games this season than he has done most seasons. He’s somebody who is very durable and it’s taken a couple of broken bones to keep him out.
“As regards whether he’ll be here or not, his situation is the same as that of any other player - they are here until they are not here.
“He’s a player we value very highly. He’s been very, very good for me and is good around the place.
“It won’t be just Joe, you always expect speculation about who will be coming in and going out. It’s part and parcel of the game.”
