Aitor Karanka refuses to rule out Ben Brereton exit

Nottingham Forest manager Aitor Karanka has refused to rule out the loan exit of Ben Brereton amid the ongoing interest from Blackburn Rovers. The 19-year-old had been the subject of a £5m bid from the Rovers which was turned down but there remains the possibility of the teenager heading to Ewood Park on a temporary basis.

Speaking to reporters, Karanka highlighted that the club are in no rush to part ways with Brereton, although he refused to dismiss the possibility of a loan exit, he said: “No, we are not in a rush to sell him. I like the player, I like his character, and he has a bright future in front of him. I have him in the squad and that is the main thing for me. He played last season and he was an important part of the team last season. This season, with his age, he will still have his games here. The club knows that I know how good Ben is.”

Brereton has not featured for Forest during the opening three Championship games and much of this has come about by the added competition brought forward by summer signing Lewis Grabban. Based on this, he has been touted for a potential loan move before the end of the month and it will be interesting to see whether the Rovers manage to lure him to Ewood Park.

Forest have shown their ambition for the season with as many as 13 signings made during the transfer window but the same cannot be said about the Rovers, who have barely spent fees on their Championship return. Barring the £1.7m signing of Adam Armstrong, Rovers have landed four other recruits on either loan or knockdown prices and Brereton would surely provide quality back up to Danny Graham, who has been their first-choice striker in recent seasons.