Nottingham Forest may have signed 22 new players in the summer but they are already being linked with moves in January as a new potential transfer target has emerged.

What's the latest?

According to Italian outlet Salerno Today, Nottingham Forest are keen to sign Salernitana midfielder Lassana Coulibaly.

As per the report, the Tricky Trees will need to meet the valuation of €8m (£6.8m) to sign the player but a deal could be possible for the club in January if they intend to meet the demands of the Serie A club.

He's the perfect Kouyate replacement

Forest made ambitious strides in their rebuild of the squad ahead of their Premier League return and now the powers at The City Ground should have a better idea of their weaknesses that they may be able to address in the January transfer window.

The Garibaldi Reds have spent the majority of their top flight campaign in the relegation zone after a struggle to find a run of form but seemingly found their feet ahead of the World Cup.

Over the last five outings, Forest picked up points in four of their clashes and are now just one point away from climbing out of the bottom three, so Steve Cooper will surely be hoping that bolstering the midfield will give them the edge to retain their Premier League status over the second half of the season.

Cheikhou Kouyate joined the club in the summer but at 32 years of age, the former Crystal Palace midfielder is not a long-term solution for the future of the centre of the pitch at The City Ground.

As a result, the signing of Coulibaly makes sense for the club as he could be the right profile of player to help Forest take their season to the next level.

Over 14 Serie A appearances, the 26-year-old ace - who was dubbed a "destroyer" by Steven Gerrard when he was at Rangers - has scored one goal and registered one assist while amassing 1.3 successful dribbles.

He has thrived defensively, proving himself to be the perfect Kouyate successor,  averaging 3.1 tackles and winning 6.1 duels  per game.

With that being said, it would be a great piece of business for Forest if they could sign Coulibaly in January as he could be the perfect long-term replacement for Kouyate.