Nottingham Forest have been credited with an interest in Southampton striker Che Adams recently and the Scotland international could be a big upgrade on Lewis Grabban in Steve Cooper's side.

Recent reports have linked Forest with a move for the former Birmingham and Sheffield United striker, despite him being a regular in Ralph Hasenhuttl's side in recent seasons.

After a tricky start to life at St Mary's the 25-year-old forward has established himself as a regular under the Austrian manager, hitting eight goals in 33 appearances for the Saints last season.

Forest may well have already recruited Taiwo Awoniyi to bolster their attacking options this summer, but Cooper could still be in the market for a Grabban replacement after he made it clear this week that he won't be signing a new contract at the club and will leave this summer.

Last season saw the 34-year-old forward hit 12 goals in 32 appearances, so he certainly played his part in Forest's promotion, but his age and Forest's new signings suggest that he would have played a bit-part role in the upcoming season.

Therefore, signing a 25-year-old international such as Adams as his replacement could be a very smart piece of business by the Reds, especially if they can get him to rediscover the form he showed with Birmingham in the Championship, where he hit 22 goals in the 2018/19 campaign.

Although he has struggled to find the net regularly in the top-flight, his personality and work rate suggest that he would be appreciated by Cooper, as Hasenhuttl suggested he had a "fantastic" attitude when things weren't falling for him initially at Southampton.

When he did start scoring goals, the Austrian was full of praise for Adams, saying:

“He’s a role model for the time we went through – from zero to hero at the moment.”

While Grabban might be a more natural finisher than the Scottish forward, Adams is younger and his athleticism suggests that he could offer far more to Cooper next season, so Forest fans will surely be hoping to see the £16.2m-rated forward join from Southampton.

AND in other news: Cooper set to unearth his own £63m-rated talent as Forest close in on “great prospect”