Nottingham Forest are targeting up to three new signings in the January transfer window and will finalise their strategy later this month.

Forest’s recruitment chiefs held a significant meeting with manager Oliver Glasner last week, with the club planning to move for at least one versatile attacking player and potentially a midfielder and wing-back.

Gabriel Bontempo, the Brazil international, has emerged as a potential target as he is capable of playing in a number of forward positions, but there are alternatives.

Bontempo, 21, plays his club football for Santos and has been tracked by Forest for much of this year.

Forest have the most Brazil internationals of any Premier League team (four) and have capitalised shrewdly on the South American market in recent years with signings such as Murillo (€12m), Igor Jesus (€19m) and Jair Cunha (€11m).

Glasner is heavily involved in Forest’s recruitment planning and another meeting will be held later this month where the club finalise their plans.

Forest want to add an attacking player in the mould of Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers. That profile will require athleticism, direct running and an ability to play across the front three. Club policy is usually to target players aged between 20 and 24.

With the future of £25m signing Arnaud Kalimuendo unclear, Forest could even move for two attacking players if there is space in the squad.

Another midfielder could be targeted, particularly if there are player exits in that position.

Forest moved for Everton’s Harrison Armstrong and Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall in the summer and remain keen on strengthening that position despite the impact of James McAtee.

An attacking wing-back is also an option, and a list of targets will be presented to the club’s owner Evangelos Marinakis long before the window opens on January 1.

Forest have funds available after only three major signings arrived over the summer, with Glasner happy to be patient.

Marinakis will not sanction the sales of any major first-team players and the focus will be on additions and trimming the squad.

At various points this season, first-team players such as Ola Aina, Nicolás Domínguez and Luca Netz have found themselves out of the match-day squad due to the competition.

Zach Abbott, the Forest full-back, could be recalled in January from his loan at Southampton after making only one start in the Championship.

Abbott is highly regarded by Forest and did have interest from other clubs in the second tier, including Millwall and Preston. His situation at Southampton will be assessed before the new year.

Forest have already secured one signing for January with the capture of Republic of Ireland under-21 international Michael Noonan from Shamrock Rovers.

Noonan is to join up with Forest in the next few weeks to train with the academy, before a decision will be made on whether to loan him out in January.

Forest are intent on recruiting more emerging talent for the academy and Noonan became the youngest goalscorer in Uefa Conference League history last year at the age of 16 years and 197 days when he scored against Molde.

Grady McDonnell, 18, is another highly regarded player in the academy who has trained with Glasner’s first-team. He could be loaned out to a club in the Championship or League One to progress his development.

McDonnell was signed from Club Brugge in June and is being tipped for a very bright future by Andy Reid, the club’s former midfielder and now head of football development.

Forest will play a behind closed doors friendly against Championship club Lincoln City on Thursday.