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Nottingham Forest are still working to sign Sam Byram before today's transfer deadline – but Aitor Karanka is "relaxed" if the club have to bring him to the City Ground on loan, if 5pm ticks by without a deal being finalised.

The West Ham defender remains at the top of the Championship club’s shopping list and the Post understands there is only one significant remaining financial stumbling block before a deal is agreed with the Hammers, with the player himself believed to be keen on a move to the City Ground.

The 24-year-old has been a peripheral figure at the London club, since making the move there from Leeds in January 2016, but the Hammers are still understood to be playing hardball over the financial package they want for the right-back.

Forest have been working hard for weeks to land the player, who Karanka admits to being pleasantly surprised over his availability.

And he hopes the club’s persistence will pay off, in the near future, even if Karanka also offered a fresh reminder – and perhaps a message to West Ham – that the club does have alternative options.

“I want Sam because, at the beginning, I did not expect that he would come here – I thought he would be a difficult player to get,” said Karanka, who also hopes to see the club sign Huddersfield defender Michael Hefele today. “But the market is open to bring him here.

“There is no issue, we are not in a hurry, West Ham are not in a hurry. The other players on our list are not in a hurry.

“The loan market gives us another chance to bring in the right player. But I do not want to bring in another player who is worse than him, only to find out two days later that Sam was available.

“He is on the list, let us see what is happening.

“Sam can be our first choice now, but the club might find another player on the list. Sam is a good player and if he is not here, another one will arrive.”

Karanka is hopeful a last-minute solution can be found to bring Byram to the City Ground – but is also open to exploring fresh options, if an unexpected player becomes available.

“I said always that Sam is a player who is on our list. We have other players on the list and sometimes the market can change in one minute,” he said. “Sometimes you think you have a first choice target, then suddenly another one can appear and I can change my mind.

“It is a position where we need to strengthen, but it is a position where we are not in a hurry, because Tendayi is playing really well. As I have said before, the player who arrives will be the right one.

“If we do not sign a right-back permanently, we will bring one on loan.

“I don’t think there will be signings in any other areas of the pitch (other than I defence).

“One telephone call can change everything. I did not expect to do so much business in January but, in the end, we made 10 signings. The market can be crazy.”