Nottingham Forest open talks with Chris Wood over a new deal – with the in-form hotshot, 33, out of contract at the end of the season

Nottingham Forest are in talks with top scorer Chris Wood over a new contract to stop him leaving on a free transfer in the summer.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad is now in the running for a top-four finish thanks in large part to Wood’s ten goals. They are now in fourth place, one point and one spot ahead of winners Manchester City, after defeating Aston Villa 2-1 on Saturday. They will play Manchester United in their derby on Sunday.
Wood turned 33 on December 7 and is said to make around £100,000 per week, which puts him close to the top of Forest’s salary scale. Depending on a player’s performance, health level, and position in the squad, Forest does not have a set policy for how long terms are offered to players over 30.

Wood will be eligible to negotiate deals with foreign clubs starting on January 1. The forward thinks he can play at a high level far into his thirties and is loving life at Forest.

‘People are playing for lot longer now,’ Wood told Mail Sport in an exclusive interview in November. At 35 or 36, they feel robust and ripe. It has to do with mindset and diet. The food that people eat is cleaner. There was a tremendous drinking culture 15 years ago and it’s not really there now.

Players were out all the time in the 1980s and 1990s; that’s just the way things were. Perhaps this explains why many retired at ages 32 and 33. The adage “once you’re thirty you’re over the hill” is still used, however it’s not.

‘Look at Jamie Vardy at 37, Robert Lewandowski at 36, Cristiano Ronaldo at 39. I feel my best years are still ahead of me. I’m not thinking about stopping at time soon.

‘The Golden Boot would be lovely. I’d look at it come March or April if I’m still in the running, though we have Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah who have run away with it in the past.’