It is understood that West Ham will bid £5 million and Matt Jarvis on a season-long loan for Nottingham Forest star Michail Antonio.

25-year-old Antonio has been attracting the interest of many clubs over the summer, with Premier League West Bromwich Albion and East Midlands rivals Derby County having £4 million bids rejected.

Natalie Jackson of BBC East Midlands Today tweeted that she understands “the bid will be rejected and it’s nowhere near the club’s valuation for Antonio”.

Transfer embargo issues

Forest have been reluctant to sell any of their star men this summer, with the club still under a transfer embargo which only permits them to sign players on free transfers and loans.

Clubs have been circling for both Antonio and Henri Lansbury this summer, with Forest rebuffing several bids for the pair.

Lansbury is now seemingly definitely staying at the City Ground, after the club rejected a £4 million bid from Burnley for the midfielder. But with Premier League interest in Antonio growing, it may be a tougher feat to keep him.

Added to the attraction of top flight football will be the prospect of returning to London, where Antonio is from.

Manager Dougie Freedman left Antonio out of last Tuesday’s game against Charlton Athletic due to the player's mind not being fit to play football.

Antonio in good form

Antonio has started the season well despite the distractions of interest in him, with the winger scoring three goals in three starts for The Reds.

And his early-season form is doing nothing but increasing his stock, with more clubs showing interest.

With the transfer window closing next week, Forest will hope to hang on and keep their star man. Dougie Freedman’s side have looked unconvincing in their first four games, therefore keeping hold of their best players will be imperative if the two-time European Champions are to have a successful season.

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About the author
Rhys Tompkins
Aspiring football writer. Football League writer for VAVEL UK.