According to the Nottingham Post, striker Ben Brereton could be on his way out of Nottingham Forest and joining Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan.
While the 19-year-old is highly regarded at The City Ground, it is unlikely that he would have featured extensively this season for Forest. But it does raise the question of whether manager Aitor Karanka has a replacement lined up or not.
Karanka's first choice striker Lewis Grabban has not been firing on all cylinders thus far this season. Now it is too early to say that the summer signing from Bournemouth is a flop, as he had a stellar season in the Championship last year, but the Spanish boss may still to keep his options open.
Back-up striker Daryl Murphy is now at the age of 35, and, while he is still a very capable, Karanka will not want to be solely reliant on him if Grabban is not up to scratch as the season progresses. This is where Brereton (valued at £4.5m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) would have been an excellent deputy, but if the rumours are to be true, Karanka must believe that he is surplus to requirements.
The other possibility is that Forest have another player lined up before the end of the transfer window closes. Championship clubs can still sign players on loan until September, meaning if Brereton is going one way, another striker may be heading towards The City Ground.
Obviously there is not necessarily any point in speculating who that person could be, as there is a whole raft of potential candidates, but it is worth Forest fans keeping their ear to the ground. With ten days remaining of the transfer window, The Reds may have some good news for their fans.