Motherwell chief executive Alan Burrows has revealed that he has been in 'constant contact' with Nottingham Forest since the end of last season.
The Scottish club have been chasing Gboly Ariyibi all summer long after the 24-year-old impressed on loan at Fir Park last season.
Last month, Motherwell chief Stephen Robinson said that his side were 'desperate' for him to make a return .
The American-born wide man joined the Reds for a fee in the region of £500,000 back in 2017 but never made an appearance under Mark Warburton or Aitor Karanka.
After heading to Scotland in January, Ariyibi turned out 18 times for the Steelmen in what proved a hugely impressive loan spell.
"We’d love to bring him back for sure," said Burrows.
"We’re in constant contact with Forest about trying to see if we can work something out.
"There are various nuances that don’t make it simple, but we’ll be as patient as we can be."
Despite having left on loan before the appointment of Martin O'Neill, the Northern Irishman is willing to allow the ex-Leeds United midfielder to move on with the club keen to clear the squad of any dead wood ahead of next season.