By Chris Burton

Nottingham Forest are in talks with Billy Davies about the vacant manager's job.

Representatives of the Scot claim a deal has already been reached with the Championship club, with a contract set to be signed imminently, but Forest are still giving little away.

"Nottingham Forest have today (Wednesday) confirmed that they have entered into negotiations with Billy Davies as their preferred candidate to take over as manager," read a statement on the club's website.

Davies has been out of work since leaving Derby in November 2007, but has plenty of experience of life in the second tier.

Before taking charge at Pride Park he enjoyed a successful spell at Preston, while he began his coaching career in impressive fashion at Motherwell.

Should he be named as the new boss at the City Ground then he will step into the void left by his countryman Colin Calderwood, who was sacked on Boxing Day.

Whether a man with strong Derby connections will be welcomed with open arms across the East Midlands divide remains to be seen, especially as former Forest favourite Nigel Clough was believed to be in the running for the post.

Should Davies complete the formalities of his proposed move to the City Ground in the next few days, his first task will be to prepare his new side for a trip to Manchester City.

Forest face the Premier League side in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday, hoping to put their domestic woes behind them.

A 3-2 victory against Norwich on Sunday did lift the Reds out of the relegation zone, but there is still a lot of work to be done before the club can be assured of their Championship standing for next season.