Bid in: Nottingham Forest make first move to sign £4m Premier League striker – report

By Will Butcher

Nottingham Forest have made the first move of the clubs interested in signing Watford forward Jerome Sinclair, according to a report.

The Mail claim on their transfer news blog (January 25, 9.33am) that Forest have tabled an offer to take the 20-year-old on loan for the remainder of the season.

It is said that Championship rivals Brentford and Ipswich remain keen in Sinclair, who has failed to have an impact at Vicarage Road since his £4million summer move from Liverpool.

Making just two starts for the Hornets all season under manager Walter Mazzarri, Sinclair has had to watch from the sidelines as the likes of Troy Deeney, Idion Oghalo and Isaac Success remain ahead of him in the pecking order.

With the signing of former West Ham and Birmingham striker Mauro Zarate confirmed on Wednesday, Sinclair is likely to drop even further down the striker rankings at Vicarage Road.

That means a move on loan could materialise for Sinclair, with Forest looking to add fire power to their squad in a bid to avoid the Championship drop.

Nicklas Bendtner and Apostolos Vellios have managed just eight goals this season, while Britt Assombalonga looks to overcome his injury demons after starting Forest’s last four matches.

Football Insider verdict: 

Scoring just one goal this season, Sinclair he could have what it takes to be prolific in the Championship by scoring against Forest’s domestic rivals Burton Albion in a 2-0 win in the FA Cup. That goal could convince top-ranking Forest chiefs that Sinclair is good enough to ply his trade in England’s second division, despite his dismal stay at Watford this season. Providing pace and a willingness to run the channels, Sinclair offers Forest a different dimension up front to their current strikers and he could hold the key in saving the two-time European champions’ 2016-17 campaign, which currently sees Forest sit in a lowly 19th place.

In other Nottingham Forest transfer news, this Premier League midfielder could also join Forest on a temporary basis.

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