Tottenham Hotspur are huge admirers of full-back Neco Williams, but Nottingham Forest are holding firm in their stance that the player won't be sold on deadline day, according to journalist Alasdair Gold.
Williams was a key part of Forest's side that reached the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, scoring twice and providing four assists across his 53 appearances. His versatility and offensive threat have sparked interest from a number of clubs, with Spurs the side most regularly mooted as potential suitors.
The Lilywhites are weighing up whether to make a deadline-day move for Williams, who is said to be open to plying his trade in North London.
Lucas Bergvall has been on Forest's radar throughout the summer, although Gold insists that a potential deal involving the two players is unlikely to materialise this late in the window.
Tottenham Face Race Against Time to Land Neco Williams
Spurs sanctioned Djed Spence's departure to Inter Milan earlier in the window. Despite impressing at the World Cup, Roberto De Zerbi couldn't promise the England international regular minutes in N17 due to the other options he has at his disposal, making cashing in on the player the sensible move.
This has, however, left Tottenham with a shortage of options at right-back. Pedro Porro's deputy is currently Archie Gray, and while the 20-year-old has shown signs of promise over the last two years, many would argue he's not ready to provide serious cover and competition for the World Cup winner.
Gray isn't expected to leave before the window closes, despite interest from multiple Premier League sides, but this might not prevent Spurs from making a move on another full-back.
Gold claims that the North Londoners 'really like' Williams, who was described as a 'winner' by Steven Gerrard at the weekend, and would like to enact a deal for the Welshman if they can.
However, Forest maintain that the full-back isn't for sale at this stage of the window. While the East Midlanders are interested in Bergvall, a swap deal isn't deemed likely as both clubs aren't keen on losing the players in question.
Tottenham may ultimately be forced to make do and mend with what they have in the full-back areas, before potentially re-addressing the situation in January. Gray has shown just about enough in the first two matches of the season to convince De Zerbi that he can be an adequate back-up option, while the Italian head coach can always move one of his right-footed centre-backs out wide if needed.