Daniel Taylor has dropped an update on surprise Nottingham Forest transfer target Jesse Lingard.

What's the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, The Athletic journalist revealed that, following a number of late-night reports on Tuesday claiming that Forest had launched an offensive to hijack West Ham United's move for Jesse Lingard, these reports are indeed true.

Taylor went on to state that talks between the 29-year-old and Steve Cooper's transfer team are underway, with Forest said to be willing to break their wage structure in order to get a deal over the line for the former England international.

In his tweet, the journalist said: "It's true: Nottingham Forest really are trying to sign Jesse Lingard. Talks underway and NFFC willing to break pay ceiling for former Man Utd and England player. Lingard has been speaking to West Ham but Forest trying to close surprise deal."

Supporters will be buzzing

While it is true that, over the past few years, Lingard had fallen down the Manchester United pecking order - with the forward starting just 11 Premier League fixtures for the Red Devils over the last three campaigns - considering just how impressive the 29-year-old was during a loan spell at West Ham in the season before last, it is evident just how much talent the attacker still possesses.

Indeed, over his 16 Premier League fixtures for David Moyes' side in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, the £16.2m-rated forward was in breathtaking form, scoring nine goals, providing five assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the 32-cap international average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.19, ranking him not only as West Ham's best performer in the division but also as the 20th-best player in the English top flight as a whole - playing a pivotal role in the Hammers securing an incredibly impressive top-six finish that season.

As such, with Cooper clearly looking to build a Forest side that is not only capable of retaining their Premier League status beyond the 2022/23 campaign but also pushing towards a top-half finish in the league - as evidenced by the calibre of the six signings the Reds have already brought into The City Ground since the start of the window - should Lingard go on to become Forest's seventh arrival of the summer, it would undoubtedly leave both supporters and the 42-year-old manager buzzing.

AND in other news: Imagine him & Worrall: Cooper must finalise Forest swoop for "incredible" £5k-p/w gem