Nottingham Forest plot bid for 23 y/o "real leader", he's an ideal Worrall replacement - opinion

Nottingham Forest could be set for a difficult battle in the summer to keep ahold of star centre-back Joe Worrall, who is attracting significant interest from Premier League clubs ahead of a potential transfer at the end of the season.

It will be difficult to replace the defender, who has become a key man in manager Steve Cooper’s side, who are looking to reach the play-offs with a view to earning promotion and a return to the top flight for next campaign.

Should the club fail to secure their ticket into the Premier League, they might have to smartly replace Worrall with a transfer with good value for money – and Zulte Waregem central defender Cameron Humphreys could prove the solution to the problem.

According to The Daily Mail, the Manchester City youth academy graduate is a hot property among Championship clubs, with Luton, Blackburn and Huddersfield just three of the teams believed to have enquired in his services.

Forest are also interested, and with the 23-year-old set to leave the Belgian Pro League club at the end of the season with his contract expiring – meaning the East Midlands club would be able to replace Worrall with a solid free transfer for a player that would be able to develop with the team.

Former Manchester City U23’s coach and current Anderlecht assistant manager Simon Davies once tipped the £675k-rated star to realise his potential of becoming a “real leader'”, and while in Belgium, he has become a more experienced man who could bring maturity and composure to the Forest back-line.

Averaging a 6.62 match rating according to SofaScore for the struggling Pro League outfit, Humphreys is outshone by Worrall in a number of defensive areas.

That includes tackles per game (Worrall’s 1.8 vs Humphreys’