Contract update on Nottingham Forest star emerges amid Brentford and Crystal Palace interest

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis held contract talks with Brennan Johnson’s representative last week in a bid to persuade the Welsh international to extend his stay at the City Ground, according to Nottinghamshire Live.

The 20-year-old has been one of the first names on the teamsheet for the East Midlands outfit this term, registering nine goals and five assists in 31 league appearances in the Championship following a successful spell at League One side Lincoln City last season.

He was the subject of interest from Premier League side Brentford back in the summer and this was interest that was sustained by the Bees as they launched multiple bids in January in a desperate attempt to lure him to the English capital.

Crystal Palace have since joined the race for his signature with his current terms at Forest expiring in 2023 – and with the winger becoming such a crucial asset at the City Ground in playing a huge part in their rise from the bottom of the table to play-off contention.

Forming an effective combination with loanee Djed Spence down the right, Johnson has already shown he can mix it with top-tier teams this season after performing admirably in his side’s 4-1 victory over Leicester City earlier this month.

As per Nottinghamshire Live, the 20-year-old’s father David held talks with the second-tier side’s owner in London last week, though a breakthrough hasn’t been reached yet.

Speaking on the Garibaldi Red podcast about this meeting, the 45-year-old said: “I spoke to the owner last week and had a very good chat with him down in London. He was fantastic. He came across really well.

“He told me how he sees the club and its future. We said great, we’ll carry on talks. There’s 15 games to go so let’s sit down