Nottingham Forest are set to miss out on the signature of Oxford United defender Josh Ruffels.
Ruffels is coming to the end of his contract with the League One club and the Reds are believed to be keen on him.
But Sky Sports are reporting that Championship rivals Huddersfield Town are in pole position to sign the player.
According to the report, Huddersfield are ‘close to an agreement’ with Ruffels to join on a free transfer once he has left Oxford.
Ruffels has not put pen to paper on a new deal with the U’s, despite being offered fresh terms during the season.
Both the Reds and the Terriers could be in need of a new left-back, and Ruffels is thought to be keen on playing in the second tier, having missed out on promotion with Oxford.
Boss Karl Robinson has reportedly identified potential replacements should the player move on, and he is keen for a quick resolution to the situation.
“That’s the one thing we have asked,” the manager has said. “From our point of view, we know where we’re at.
“We requested a resolution and Josh deep down is an Oxford fan.
“We’ve had some good conversations, but we also respect the situation.”
Forest confirmed the departure of Yuri Ribeiro this week, when they announced their retained list.
The Portuguese was one of seven out-of-contract players to depart, along with five loanees returning to their parent clubs.
It marks the start of a summer of rebuilding by Chris Hughton as he looks to put together a group capable of challenging for a top six spot.
Doubt remains over the futures of Nicholas Ioannou and Gaetan Bong, which could leave Tyler Blackett as the only senior left-back at the City Ground.
