West Bromwich Albion are just two places and three points above Aitor Karanka’s Nottingham Forest in the Championship table.
Joe Lolley produced one of the best individual displays in the entire Championship campaign on Wednesday night.
Not content with rattling home a stunning 35-yard screamer against boyhood club Aston Villa, the Nottingham Forest winger set up his side’s other four goals in a 5-5 draw that will go down in second-tier history.
Lolley has been arguably Forest’s best player this season and has scored or assisted 13 goals in all competitions. So, with Aitor Karanka’s side now in the play-off places after a slow start, the former European Champions would be simply mad to sell the 26-year-old during the January transfer window – particularly to promotion rivals West Brom.
The Mail reports that the Baggies have identified the red-hot Lolley as one of their key January targets while Premier League duo Watford and Cardiff City are also understood to be interested.
Forest, who paid £1 million to sign Lolley from Huddersfield, are expected to demand at least £5 million, which would seemingly put him within reach for West Brom.
But, with Darren Moore’s side just two places and three points above Aitor Karanka’s team in the table, you would be hard pushed to think of a single reason why selling Lolley to West Brom would benefit Nottingham Forest.
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