Aston Villa are one of many Championship clubs keen on Middlesbrough midfielder Adam Clayton but Nottingham Forest might have set the bar too high.
Nottingham Forest have stepped up their pursuit of Middlesbrough midfielder Adam Clayton on Thursday.
Newly appointed manager Aitor Karanka is keen to reunite with a player who played such a key role in his Middlesbrough side’s promotion to the Premier League in 2016. And according to the Sun (18th January, page 54) Forest have opened the bidding by putting £2 million on the table.
The Teeside Gazette, however, states that Forest will have to offer far more to land the 29-year-old this month. The report suggests that Boro value Clayton much higher than £2 million, even if he does not seem to be an important part of Tony Pulis’s plans at the Riverside.
Although with Clayton set to command quite a substantial fee, the chances of Aston Villa posing a genuine threat to Forest seem somewhat fanciful.
It is well documented that Villa do not have much money to play with this month thanks to Financial Fair Play restrictions, with Steve Bruce forced to dip into the loan market to reinforce his squad.
The Yorkshire Post stated earlier this month that the Midland giants, like Sheffield United, Wednesday and Derby County, were all keen on Clayton but even £2 million would be pushing their budget to the limit.
And the news that Boro want more for their former Manchester City youngster means Clayton could be out of Villa’s grasp. This latest potential blow comes less than 24 hours after Cardiff City beat Villa to the loan signing of Liverpool starlet Marko Grujic.
With other deals for the likes of Leonardo Ulloa in the balance, Bruce will be praying that FFP does not wreck Villa’s chances of a top flight return.
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