Aitor Karanka wants to reunite with his former Middlesbrough star Adam Clayton at Nottingham Forest, but Championship rivals Aston Villa are keen, too.
On paper, Aston Villa boast a midfield that is the envy of most Championship clubs.
Henri Lansbury, Connor Hourihane, Glenn Whelan and Mile Jedinak would walk into most other sides in the division, but that does not mean that manager Steve Bruce is happy with his lot.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo, Bruce is keen to bring Liverpool starlet Marko Grujic to Villa Park on loan this January. The dynamic 21-year-old is set to leave Anfield in search of more regular first-team opportunities and it appears that manager Jurgen Klopp is open to the idea of Grujic donning the claret and blue of Villa.
And Nottingham Forest may have a vested interest in the immediate future of Liverpool’s Serbian wonderkid.
Because Aston Villa appear to be posing an obstacle for Forest boss Aitor Karanka’s hopes of reuniting with Middlesbrough midfielder Adam Clayton at the City Ground.
Clayton is expected to leave Boro after failing to make an impression since Tony Pulis took charge at the Riverside. Aston Villa were named by the Yorkshire Post as a potential destination but the arrival of former Middlesbrough manager Karanka at Nottingham Forest appears to have put the East Midland giants directly in the race for the 28-year-old’s signature, the Northern Echo reports.
And surely there is not enough room for both Grujic and Clayton in a crowded Villa engine room.
There is a real chance that Karanka and Clayton could work together again at Nottingham Forest, and Liverpool could yet have the decisive say.
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