Nottingham Forest will be on the hunt for new players next month and the Reds need to rival Celtic for Barnsley star Callum Styles.
The Reds’ CEO, Dane Murphy, knows all about the youngster. He was a shining light for the Tykes last season as they reached the Championship play-offs.
Now, Celtic are keen to pounce with Barnsley facing relegation into League One.
Forest will be keen to fill a problem left-back area during January. Max Lowe has been brilliant but the Reds have struggled to find a replacement since his injury.
The Sheffield United owned player is only on loan too and there’s no saying that the Blades will be willing to sell him.
Styles is a player that is bound to be on Murphy’s radar. He saw first-hand just how useful he could be in the Championship and at 21, he fits the profile of a Forest signing.
Celtic will have significant clout when it comes to attracting talents from the second tier. If Styles heads north he will likely find himself playing in Europe year after year.
Domestically the league isn’t great though and at 21 he might prefer staying closer to his roots and Forest would welcome his arrival.
Class: Styles is perfect for Nottingham Forest
Styles would be an amazing signing if Forest could get something over the line. Of course, at this stage, there are no links other than Murphy previously working at Barnsley.
The former Bury player can operate in a number of positions. During 2021/22, he has played as a central midfielder, on the left wing and even at left wing-back.
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Styles has 80 appearances to his name in the Championship and there’s be no settling in period whatsoever for the youngster.
The Tykes star would be exactly the type of signing to get supporters’ juices flowing and as a result, Forest simply have to rival Celtic for Styles.