Price tag update emerges on Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson amid Brentford pursuit | OneFootball

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Football League World

·24 January 2022

Price tag update emerges on Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson amid Brentford pursuit

Article image:Price tag update emerges on Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson amid Brentford pursuit

The 20-year-old has been a regular starter at Forest this season following a successful loan spell at League One outfit Lincoln City, recording 10 goals and 14 assists in 40 third-tier appearances last term as he took the Imps within 90 minutes of the Premier League.

Michael Appleton’s men may have lost out in the play-off final to Blackpool – but Johnson secured his return to the Championship anyway after impressing at the LNER Stadium – instantly becoming a regular under Chris Hughton and successor Steve Cooper.


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Article image:Price tag update emerges on Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson amid Brentford pursuit

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Then-Premier League new boys Brentford registered their interest in the Welshman as early as the summer after witnessing him thrive in League One – and after seeing him make the step up seamlessly – Thomas Frank’s men remain interested in luring him to the English capital.

Speculation over his future has only increased with Cooper’s men tirelessly pursuing Millwall’s Jed Wallace and Blackpool’s Josh Bowler – and the Daily Mail reported last week that the Bees were only £3m off the second-tier side’s asking price as he was thought to be valued at £18m.

A latest update from Sky Sports has indicated that this asking price is actually higher, with a fee of over £20m potentially what it will take for the Wales international to leave the West Midlands.

His father and former player David ruled out a move for the youngster last month, although it looks set to be a nervy final week in the window as they look to hold on to one of their key men.

The Verdict:

It’s no real surprise to see Forest hold out for such a high fee considering how much of an important asset he is to the Reds.

Having him and Djed Spence on the right side is a complete game-changer for Cooper’s side and if they can retain that duo until the end of the season, with the latter already guaranteed to be at the City Ground for the remainder of the campaign, it would boost their chances of promotion by a considerable amount.

However, the fact he’s yet to sign a new deal in the East Midlands could persuade the Championship outfit to cash in now to avoid losing him for a lot less in the future, a decision that would make sense if he isn’t willing to put pen to paper on a new deal.

His sale would allow the club to bring in both Wallace and Bowler, whilst having more than enough money left over to ensure they were staying within the EFL’s financial restrictions – something that will be important in the coming years if they want to continue thriving.

It’s now up to them to weigh up how much they want to demand – and a shrewd deal could be in the offing for Forest if they are willing to make the sacrifice of selling him to bring in others.

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