Nottingham Forest have been handed a boost to their chances of bringing Ryan Longman to The City Ground this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by The Argus, which revealed that the winger has signed a new two-year deal with Brighton & Hove Albion.

However, the report went on to relay the comments of the Seagulls' technical director, Dan Ashworth, regarding the 20-year-old's future on the South Coast, with the 50-year-old opening the door to the youngster's temporary departure this summer.

Ashworth said: "Ryan really proved himself in men's football last season with Wimbledon, impressing David Weir and his team and has earned this new contract. Ryan is keen to continue to learn and wants to build on what that experience has given him.

"We are currently reviewing his situation, and that is likely to involve another season on loan, but we are confident he has another good year ahead of him."

The technical director's comments come following a report by Football Insider, that claimed Nottingham Forest are plotting a move for the Brighton starlet ahead of next season.

Fantastic news for Forest

Considering just how impressive Longman was during a loan spell at Wimbledon last season, as well as the fact that Forest badly struggled for goals in the Championship, the fact that the 20-year-old looks set to be available on the loan market this summer is fantastic news for the Garibaldi.

Indeed, over his 44 League One appearances for Mark Robinson's side last term, Longman scored eight goals, provided two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making one key pass per game.

These returns saw the man Glyn Hodges dubbed an attacking "threat" earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.85, ranking him as the Dons' sixth-best performer in the third tier of English football, playing a huge part in the club securing survival in the division.

The winger also scored one goal and provided three assists over his five appearances in the EFL Trophy, taking his total haul for the season to nine goals and five assists in all competitions.

As such, with Lewis Grabban being Chris Hughton's top league goalscorer last season, with just six goals to his name, as well as only Derby County scoring fewer than Forest's 37 Championship goals last term, the addition of a fresh face in attack is something that would appear desperately needed at The City Ground this summer.

And, with Longman having highly impressed for Wimbledon last time out, we would not back against the 20-year-old continuing to shine after making the step up to the second tier next season, be that with Forest or elsewhere.

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