Derby County and Premier League Watford are interested in signing Nottingham Forest midfielder Henri Lansbury.
The 26 year-old is out of contract in the summer so could be available at a bargain price. This has led to a host of teams expressing their interest in the player and monitoring his situation.
A key player for Forest
Lansbury is a huge player for Forest and this has shown with their recent struggles on the pitch since he has been injured. They have now lost four games in a row with the latest coming on Monday as they lost 1-0 at home to Barnsley.
His injury came not only as a blow to Forest but also himself as he had only recently picked up Player of the Month in the Championship for his performances throughout November.
He was given the armband by Forest manager Philippe Montanier as Chris Cohen continues to recover from yet another long-term injury. Lansbury appeared to relish the role and motivated his fellow team mates on the pitch, something which has been missing in Forest's recent dismal run.
The creativity and goal scoring ability of Lansbury is something which arguably no-one else in Forest's squad can match. He has shown this on many occasions this season such as when he scored a hat-trick against Barnsley away in a 5-2 Forest win.
This is not the first time Lansbury has been linked with a move away. Sean Dyche has been a long-term admirer of the player for many years and Burnley have consistently been after Lansbury for a while. This makes it a surprise they haven't yet shown an interest of their own.
Forest reject Derby bid
Forest have already starting receiving bids for the midfielder despite the fact the transfer window has only just opened as clubs look to take advantage of Forest's precarious position.
Remarkably, it was Forest's local rivals Derby County who were first to place a bid of £2.5 million for the midfielder. Steve McClaren is a huge fan of Lansbury and this was made evident when he said he would be a big miss for Forest as he got injured in the warm-up before their 3-0 loss to McClaren's men.
The Rams boss has since hinted that he may return with an improved bid as Derby look to test the resolve of Forest even further. Lansbury would no doubt be a big addition to Derby's squad and their push to finish in the play-offs.
However, the Rams are not the only team said to be interested in Lansbury. Premier League Watford are also said to be very keen on the player especially due to the amount of injuries they are currently suffering with.
Their interest in Lansbury this transfer window appears to now be over as they are reluctant to match the £2.5 million bid from Derby which has already been turned down by Forest. This is mainly due to the fact Lansbury would be available for free in the summer and could even sign a pre-contract agreement with the Hornets this month.
Birmingham City and new manager Gianfranco Zola were also said to be interested but they have also revealed that they will no longer be targeting the player this January.
Could soon become clearer
This week could be a huge week in Forest's history as the takeover from American businessman John Jay Moores edges closer and is now said to be just a matter of days away from completion.
The situation regarding Lansbury is clearly something the new owners would have to look at immediately. He will be seen as an asset to the club and Forest's chances of staying in the division would be severely hampered if he was sold.
They will have to sell their plans to Lansbury and make him believe that he is best of signing a new contract at the club he has been at since 2012. It may be difficult for Forest to match Derby and other teams in regards to their financial position but it may not be about the money.
In the short-term, Montanier has revealed that Lansbury is still fully focused on returning from his injury as he could return to the squad as the Reds face Wigan Athletic in the 3rd round of the FA Cup this weekend.