According to the Nottingham Post, Nottingham Forest have turned their attention away from Jack Colback – meaning he could be sticking around on Tyneside a little longer yet.
Reports in the Midlands claim that Martin O’Neill is now pursuing a deal for Southampton’s Harrison Reed instead, despite showing initial interest in Colback following his impressive loan spell at Forest last season.
The Nottingham Post insist that Colback is still a possible option for the club, but suggest his wage demands may be an issue, with his current Newcastle contract earning him between ‘£40-£50,000’ per week.
He still has ONE year remaining on his current deal St James’ Park, but Rafa Benitez has made it quite clear over the past two seasons that he wants nothing to do with him.
Not only was he forced to train away from the senior side, he was excluded from the first-team squad photo two summers ago, with it widely accepted that he’ll never play for Newcastle again while the Spaniard remains in charge.
With his current deal expiring in 9 days time, it may be that Benitez is no longer at Newcastle in a few weeks time, giving Colback a potential route back into the first-team set up, however Rafa will be keen to move him on and free up space on the wage bill should he finally sign a new contract.
Hopefully Forest do us a favour and reignite their interest – although it sounds like Colback may have to reduce his wage demands if he wants to join them on a permanent deal.
