Nottingham Forest will be hoping to put their disappointing 2021/22 Championship campaign behind them by making a positive start to the new term under the guidance of manager Chris Hughton.
The Reds stepped up their preparations for their opening weekend clash with Coventry City by taking on Crewe Alexandra in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.
A brace from Brennan Johnson was cancelled out by strikes from Callum Ainley and Rio Adebisi as Forest's players were able to make considerable strides in terms of their fitness.
One of the players who was involved in this particular showdown for the Reds was full-back Jordan Gabriel.
Since returning to the City Ground following his loan spell with Blackpool, the defender's future has become the subject of a great deal of speculation.
Despite the fact that Gabriel's contract with Forest is not set to expire until 2024, the 22-year-old could potentially leave the club this summer if they receive a sizeable offer from elsewhere.
After Blackpool opted to submit a bid for the defender, Sunderland decided to enter the race for his signature last week.
A recent report from the Nottingham Post suggested that Forest were looking to seal a £600k fee for Gabriel this summer.
However, in a fresh update concerning the defender, it has now been revealed that the club are seeking a bigger sum.
According to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, Forest are reportedly unwilling to part ways with their academy graduate unless they receive an offer within the region of £1m.
Providing that Gabriel stays at the club, it will be intriguing to see whether he is handed the opportunity to feature on a regular basis in the Championship next season.
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
When you consider that Forest are currently short of options in this particular position, it is hardly a surprise that they have decided to place a considerable price-tag on Gabriel.
Although the defender did lack consistency at times during his spell with Blackpool, he still managed to illustrate some real signs of promise in the 35 appearances that he made for the club in all competitions last season.
Particularly impressive during the Tangerines' clashes with Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town earlier this year, Gabriel managed to help the club keen clean-sheets in both of these fixtures by recording WhoScored match ratings of 7.36 and 7.35 in the third-tier.
Whilst it may take some time for Gabriel to adjust to life in the Championship considering that he has only made one appearance in this division during his career to date, there is no reason why he cannot go on to thrive under the guidance of Hughton if Forest are able to fend off interest from elsewhere this summer.
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