Nottingham Forest will be looking to kick-start their 2021/22 Championship campaign tomorrow when they head to Pride Park to face Derby County.
Currently bottom of the second-tier standings, the Reds need to pick up their performance levels in the coming weeks if they are to have any chance of achieving a relative amount of success at this level this season.
Whereas many of Forest's Championship rivals have managed to make significant alterations to their squads this summer, it has been a relatively quiet window for Chris Hughton's side.
The Reds manager has only been able to secure the services of four players and time is now running out to make any late moves.
One of the individuals who has recently been linked with a switch to the City Ground is Sparta Rotterdam midfielder Abdou Harroui.
A report from Rijnmond earlier this month suggested that Forest had reached an agreement to sign the 23-year-old.
Harroui, whose current deal at Sparta Rotterdam is set to expire next year, featured regularly for his side in the Eredivisie last season.
During the 32 league appearances that he made for the De Kasteelheren, the midfielder managed to find the back of the net on six occasions whilst he also provided three assists for his team-mates.
Ahead of Forest's showdown with Derby, a fresh twist has emerged regarding this particular transfer pursuit.
According to Dutch news outlet AD.nl, Harroui has yet to decide whether he is willing to part ways with Sparta Rotterdam despite the fact the Reds have submitted a bid believed to be in the region of €3.5m (£3m) for him.
It is understood that the midfielder and his agent are in talks with other unnamed clubs over potential moves.
As a result of the uncertainty surrounding his future, Harroui is reportedly unlikely to feature for his side in their clash with Go Ahead Eagles tomorrow.
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With Forest still waiting to see whether Harroui is willing to join the club, Hughton may need to draft up a list of alternative options as there is no guarantee that this move will go through.
If the Reds do end up missing out on the midfielder, it will unquestionably be a setback as he managed to show some real signs of promise last season.
As well as ranking in the top-five at Sparta Rotterdam for tackles per game (3), key passes per game (1.2) and shots per game (2.3), Harroui averaged a club-high WhoScored match rating of 7.20 in the Eredivisie.
In order to halt the dismal run of form that Forest are experiencing, it is imperative that Hughton nails his recruitment in the coming days and thus he ought to be doing everything in his power to convince Harroui to make the switch to the City Ground as the midfielder clearly possesses an abundance of talent.
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