Nottingham Forest are reportedly interested in signing New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long. 

The Lowdown: Forest's previous transfer business

The Reds showed during the summer transfer window just how capable they are of bringing new players to the club, with more than 20 new faces joining Steve Cooper's squad following their promotion from the Championship.

The Midlands club have not had the easiest of campaigns so far, though, as they find themselves in the relegation zone with just 10 points on the board from 14 games played.

Having also conceded 30 goals across those games, it appears that the club have already identified someone to sign in January who may help them to tighten up at the back.

The Latest: Transfer interest in Long

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Forest are joined by Premier League duo West Ham United and Bournemouth in plotting moves to sign Long during the upcoming January transfer window.

The report also states that, with Long's contract at the American club set to expire at the end of next month, he's able to negotiate over a potential free transfer to one of those English top-flight clubs, something that the player is reportedly 'considering'.

The Verdict: Potentially smart move for Cooper

Across Long's 29 MLS games for New York Reb Bulls in the 2022 season, the 30-year-old posted the second-highest number of clearances (76) and fifth-highest number of interceptions (27) at the club, also racking up 23 blocks and 13 successful tackles.

Praised by Chris Armas for the "big voice" that he has in the dressing room, Long will undoubtedly be looking to put that voice to use for his country in the upcoming World Cup, in which he is likely to feature given how often he has played for the USA this year.

Should the centre-back make it to Qatar, this would give Forest and Steve Cooper a good chance to evaluate the player and see if he'd be a worthy addition to their squad.

In our view, based on his defensive credentials, potentially signing Long as a free agent in January could be a very smart move from Forest and possibly help to get them out of danger in the Premier League.