Nottingham Forest knock back £30m bid from Brentford for Brennan Johnson | OneFootball

Brentford have made a £30 million offer to Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest for Brennan Johnson.

However, according to the Telegraph, the Bees will need to increase the bid after Forest rejected their opening gambit.

The 22-year-old is a top target for Brentford boss Thomas Frank who is keen on reinforcing his forward line.

Johnson shone last season, helping Forest avoid relegation. He bagged nine goals and three assists to help the club stay up.

The interest from Brentford in the Nottingham-born attacker is not new, as they have been trailing him for 18 months.

Brentford tried to sign Johnson in January 2022 but saw three bids rejected.

Brentford will return with another offer for the son of former Forest star David Johnson, but they will be wary of outside interest in the player.

Everton, Aston Villa and West Ham United have shown interest in Johnson. Forest rejected a bid from the Toffees last summer.

Brentford’s bid for Johnson exceeds the £22m they paid to Freiburg to make Kevin Schade’s loan move permanent this summer.

Forest want to complete several signings for next season including Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who spent last season on loan with them.

Henderson is keen on rejoining, but United will wait for developments regarding their new offer to David De Gea.

Forest will try to sell several fringe players including Jonjo Shelvey, Emmanuel Dennis, Remo Freuler, Steve Cook and Sam Surridge to free up space in their squad.

Manager Steve Cooper recently met with club owner Evangelos Marinakis and new chief football officer Ross Wilson over their strategy in the summer transfer window.