Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Sao Paulo defensive midfielder Pablo Maia this week, according to a new transfer rumour which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Midfielder needed?

The Reds have enjoyed a fantastic summer transfer window, spending nearly £140m on 17 new players and looking well equipped to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

While midfielders such as Jesse Lingard, Lewis O'Brien and Cheikhou Kouyate have come in, Steve Cooper may still feel that more reinforcements are needed in the middle of the park.

A fresh transfer claim certainly suggests that the 42-year-old wants to strengthen in that department.

According to journalist Jorge Nicola on Twitter [via Sport Witness], there is a 'promise from Nottingham Forest' that they will make a move for Maia in the 'coming days'.

An offer of approximately €6m (£5m) will be needed to prise him away from Sao Paulo, although a bid will have to be made 'soon'.

The Verdict: Interesting option

Maia is a relatively unproven player, having only ever plied his trade in Brazil so far, so there would be an element of risk to Forest signing him.

The 20-year-old likely wouldn't come in a regular at first, being used as a squad player and hopefully maturing into a more formidable prospect over time, perhaps learning from proven Premier League operators like Kouyate.

Maia has an impressive 88% pass completion rate across 20 Brazilian top-flight appearances this season and has averaged 1.1 tackles per game, so his quality in possession and tenacity off the ball makes him an exciting target for Forest.

Only one player to have started a league match for the Reds has a better passing accuracy rate, while his tackling average is slightly superior to Kouyate's, so the Brazilian youngster could be a shrewd left-field coup if Forest strike a deal for him this week.