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Lewis Grabban remains Nottingham Forest’s number one target as they look to bolster their attacking arsenal for a Championship promotion push.

But both Nelson Oliveira and Patrick Bamford are also understood to be on the Reds radar, as they look to ensure they have the firepower to help them challenge at the top end of the table.

Aitor Karanka is keen to add at least one – if not two – proven, experienced Championship goal scorers to the Reds ranks this summer and all three players fall into that category.

Bournemouth frontman Grabban is understood to be the man at the top of Forest’s list of targets, with the Cherries keen to offload the player they allowed to join firstly Sunderland and then Aston Villa on loan last season – for the right price.

(Image: Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

The 30-year-old bagged 12 goals for a struggling Black Cats side, before bolstering Villa’s promotion push by netting a further eight goals, as they plotted a course to the play-off final, where they were beaten by Fulham.

But Forest are also pondering moves to bring back two former Reds to the City Ground.

Portugal international Oliveira, 26, made a flying start to last season, scoring five goals in his first nine appearances of the season for Norwich, before seeing his form in front of goal dip, finishing the campaign with eight goals for the Canaries in 26 starts and 11 sub appearances in the Championship.

Oliveira has bagged 19 goals in 42 starts and 23 sub appearances for the Canaries overall, following his move from Benfica in the summer of 2016. He previously scored nine goals in 24 starts and four sub appearances for Forest, during a loan spell in the 2015/16 season.

(Image: PA)

Oliveira would add to the growing Portuguese contingent at the City Ground, following the arrival of Joao Carvalho and Diogo Goncalves from Benfica in the last few days.

Karanka also remains a big 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 – and had a particularly purple patch of form last season, when he hit the back of the net nine times in seven matches during February and March.

Bamford, who began his career at the Nigel Doughty Academy, making two appearances off the bench for the Reds, moved to Chelsea in January 2012. He subsequently had loan spells at MK Dons, Derby, Boro, Palace, Norwich and Burnley.

The forward has bulked up since his days as a lanky teenager with the Reds and now his the physical presence and the experience to play in the lone striker role Karanka often favours.

(Image: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Forest are unlikely to sign all three players, but they want to keep their options open as they look to bolster a forward line that often struggled for finishing power last season, once a combination of injury and personal issues impacted on Daryl Murphy’s early season form.

The Reds have also been monitoring the situation of Peterborough front man Jack Marrriott, but have so far been put off by the £6.5m price tag the League One club have put on his head.

While El Arbi Hilllel Soudani is also a player Forest have looked at, with the Algerian international expected to leave Dinamo Zagreb this summer.