Nottingham Forest have seemingly been given the green light in their hopes of signing Rangers' midfield maestro Joe Aribo.

What's the word?

That is according to a report from Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie, who took to Twitter to issue an update on the Scottish club's contract stance regarding the Nigerian midfielder.

Barrie stated: "Regarding Joe Aribo I’m told that Rangers are relaxed about his contract situation. There is interest from the Premier League, but I understand the club remain confident they can make a significant profit for Aribo in this window. In keeping with the player trading model."

As per a report from All Nigeria Soccer, Forest are highly interested in the 25-year-old, along with Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and Fulham.

Zinckernagel upgrade

With Philip Zinckernagel's loan now expired and no way of getting him back amidst his upcoming transfer to Olympiakos, there is a gaping hole in the attacking midfield position of which Forest manager Steve Cooper will be all too aware.

The Danish midfielder was on loan from Watford last season and became a key player for the Reds in a central attacking role behind two forwards.

Making 45 league appearances for the Tricky Trees, the 27-year-old chipped in with 13 attacking returns in the form of six goals and seven assists, so Cooper will require a reliable, consistent attacking threat to carry out this role, this time in the Premier League. This is where the £9m-rated Aribo comes in.

The Nigeria international found his goalscoring touch in Rangers' title-winning and record-breaking season under Steven Gerrard in 2020/21, netting seven times in the league that term.

Functioning in the same role as Zinckernagel for Forest last season, Aribo continued his run of returns and ended the Scottish Premiership campaign with eight goals and six assists, a better return than what the Dane managed at the City Ground.

As a scorer in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt, he has demonstrated his ability to thrive on the big stage, and he would represent an astute and affordable upgrade on the departing Zinckernagel.

With Rangers potentially open to selling the 25-year-old, Cooper should get this deal done pronto.

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