The Reds have been courting a new talisman for a number of weeks and it’s hoped that something will be wrapped up before the window closes.

Forest have to get their squad finalised before Friday week and now there looks to have been a breakthrough in some negotiations.

Earlier today, Fabrizio Romano claimed that Forest had increased their bid for Santiago Gimenez but it’s not that deal that appears to be close

Nottingham Forest close to Eddie Nketiah deal

This comes from The Athletic, where David Ornstein – nicknamed in the industry as The Ornacle’ – believes Forest are close to agreeing on a deal with Arsenal.

The Reds are looking to add a striker to the ranks to compete with Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi for the place in the attack.

Nketiah almost moved to Marseille during the summer but a deal couldn’t be struck and instead he remained at Arsenal.

Now, Forest – who saw an opening bid of £25 million rejected by the Gunners – are close to coming up with an offer that satisfies Arsenal.

Ornstein believes that talks are still ongoing, with Arsenal keen to recoup around £30-35 million for Nketiah before the window closes.

Nketiah has scored 38 goals in 168 appearances for the Gunners and he’s also been capped once by England at senior level.

Nketiah can thrive at Forest with regular game time

The striker’s goalscoring record is perhaps a little bit flawed. There are lots of games and not too many goals but it’s fair to say he’s never been considered the first-choice striker in North London.

Much like Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi found before they joined Forest, there is no substitute for regular game time.

Now, Nketiah could be a major beneficiary of Forest’s recruitment model and the 25-year-old could quickly become the primary striker at the City Ground.

Getting into the team won’t be easy for the talisman. Wood has been in red hot form under Espirito Santo and we know what Awoniyi can bring to the table on his day.

However, if Forest do pay close to £30 million for his signature, you can bet that he will be playing more often than not on the banks of the River Trent.