Aston Villa have joined the race to sign midfielder Henri Lansbury from Nottingham Forest, according to a report.

The 26-year-old is already said to have been the subject of one failed bid by a Championship rival this month, as Derby County fell short with a £2.5m offer.

Lansbury is attracting plenty of interest after scoring six goals this term, three of which came in the 5-2 thrashing of Barnsley in November, but he has been out of action since early December due to a hamstring issue.

Sky Sports News reports that Villa - one of the teams the Forest captain has found the net against this season - are preparing their own bid which will surpass the amount offered by County.

Lansbury, also strongly linked with Burnley in their promotion-winning campaign, is out of contract at the City Ground next summer.