Chris Hughton has recently rejected a number of bids for Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Brennan Johnson.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Football Insider, who claimed that a recruitment source has revealed that Forest have turned down a number of loan and permanent transfer enquiries regarding the 20-year-old winger.

The report added that Hughton has earmarked Johnson as a crucial player within his Forest squad ahead of their 2021/22 Championship campaign.

Fans must be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Johnson has been throughout his loan spell at Lincoln City so far this term, the news that Hughton plans to retain the services of the Wales international this summer is likely to have the Garibaldi fans buzzing.

Over his 42 League One appearances thus far for Michael Appleton's side, the 20-year-old has scored 11 goals, registered 12 assists and created four big chances. He has also averaged 2.3 shots and 0.7 key passes per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as the Imps' sixth-best performer in the third tier.

These performances have helped Lincoln to reach the League One play-off final, and with Johnson being a pivotal part of the team this season, this would seem to indicate that the youngster - whom Matty Cash claimed has "unreal ability" - is indeed ready to play Championship football for Forest next term.

With the Reds having struggled for both goals and creativity throughout the 2020/21 campaign, with none of Hughton's players managing more than six goals or three assists in the Championship, the addition of Johnson to the 62-year-old's attacking arsenal at the City Ground could well be the spark that Forest need in order mount a push towards the play-off places next year.

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