Nottingham Forest signing Liverpool old boy could deal Steven Gerrard transfer blow

Nottingham Forest completing the signing of Union Berlin centre-forward Taiwo Awoniyi would reportedly end any interest in re-signing former Aston Villa loanee Keinan Davis.

The Reds are reportedly in "advanced talks" to sign the Nigeria international from the Bundesliga side for the £17.5million release clause in his contract in a move that would break the club's transfer record. The current high stands at £13million, which Forest paid Benfica to sign the now-departed Joao Carvalho.

Steve Cooper 's side have also been linked with even exceeding that expected fee for Awoniyi should they sign Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Morgan Gibbs-White as a £20million-plus price has been reported. One player now not expected to sign though is Davis.

The Athletic are reporting that Awoniyi 'would be an alternative signing' to the Villa forward. It is claimed that Steven Gerrard 's side placed a 'big price tag' on the player after impressing in the Championship during the second half of last season, which appears to have put the Reds off and seen them turn to alternatives.

Davis scored five goals and assisted another two across 15 appearances for Forest last season after arriving on New Year's Day. The 24-year-old has previously struggled to make a mark in the Premier League with his parent club, recording just one goal and one assist in 34 total appearances, five of which were starts.

Awoniyi, despite spending six years on the books at Liverpool, has yet to experience the English top-flight first-hand, but had a breakthrough season in the German top-flight last campaign. The striker scored 20 goals across all competitions, including four in the Europa Conference League.