Nottingham Forest have signed 16 new players this summer but don't appear to be slowing down with a new transfer target being pursued by the newly-promoted Premier League club.

What's the latest?

According to Tutto Mercato Web, Nottingham Forest have had their first bid of €16m (£13.4m) for Japhet Tanganga rejected by Tottenham Hotspur, but are preparing a second bid to secure the signing.

As per the report, Spurs value their centre-back at €20m (£17m) and Forest are prepared to raise their offer to ensure they can secure a deal before the transfer window closes on September 1st.

Niakhate alternative

Although Forest have wasted no resources spending around £140m to build a team that can compete in the Premier League over the season ahead, there is definitely still an opportunity for the club to strengthen their centre-back positions following Moussa Niakhate's injury blow.

Steve Cooper confirmed at the weekend, after his team's 1-1 draw with Everton, that new signing Niakhate could be out for "months" (via Daily Mail):

"He is out for a few months. He had a scan in the week and it didn’t come back too good."

As a result the signing of the currently out-of-favour Spurs defender could be a great opportunity for Forest to add even more Premier League experience and suitable cover for their injured centre-half in the club's pursuit to retain their top-flight status.

Despite making just 19 appearances in all competitions last season for the North London club, Tanganga proved he is a consistent and solid centre-back that would be a great addition to The City Ground.

The 23-year-old who was hailed "fantastic" by Jose Mourinho, made 1.3 tackles, 2.7 clearances and won 3.8 duels per game, completed a large majority of his dribble attempts (71%) and kept three clean sheets whilst in the back-line over 11 Premier League appearances.

Tanganga also ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for tackles, pressures, touches and progressive carries over the last 12 months, proving that despite not being a constant selection at Spurs the player has always been consistent in his defensive contributions when called upon.

With that being said, the signing of Tanganga would be a major coup for Cooper as he attempts to find a solution to strengthen his back-line over Niakhate's injury and there could be the opportunity of first-team football beyond his peer's recovery if he can offer the reliability he has at Spurs.