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Nottingham Forest have reportedly seen an £8m bid for Middlesbrough striker Patrick Bamford rejected.

Manager Aitor is understood to have identified the former Reds man as one of three attacking targets this summer.

Now the Mirror say Forest have made a move, but Boro have turned the bid down.

Bamford began his career with Forest before being sold to Chelsea in 2012 at a point when the club was in dire need of funds.

That is no longer the case with Forest plotting a promotion push after signing Michael Dawson, Joao Carvalho, Gil Dias and Diogo Goncalves.

While the latter trio have never played in the Championship, Bamford is proven at that level and he has worked with Karanka before.

The Spaniard remains a fan of Bamford, who he signed for Middlesbrough for £6m in January 2017.

The 24-year-old has hit 14 goals in 29 starts and 24 sub appearances for Boro since then, including nine goals in seven matches during February and March.

He has had a nomadic career having had loan spells at MK Dons, Derby, Boro, Palace, Norwich and Burnley during his time with Burnley.

Forest are also keen on Bournemouth striker Lewis Grabban and Nelson Oliveira, the Norwich forward who spent the 2015/16 season on loan at the City Ground.