SAINTS target Nathan Tyson is keen on a move away from Nottingham Forest, but Alan Pardew will have to increase his offer if he wants to sign the striker.

Forest have reportedly rejected a £400,000 bid from Saints for the 28-year-old and are thought to be holding out for about double that.

If they do sell, the Championship side will be confident of securing a good fee, especially as Tyson currently has a number of clubs interested in him.

The player is understood to want a move away from the City Ground, as he is frustrated at being played out wide so much.

Tyson, whose contract runs until next summer, wants more of a chance up front, which is his preferred position.

However, Forest are in no rush to sell the Reading-born player, who has scored 40 goals in 176 appearances for them.

They have already loaned out striker Joe Garner to Huddersfield, while former Saints frontman David McGoldrick is set to miss the first couple of months of the season with a shoulder injury.

That leaves Rob Earnshaw, Garath McCleary and Dele Adebola, who has been sidelined with a groin problem, as their only other available strikers.

Tyson was yesterday pulled out of the club’s pre-season friendlies this weekend, with Forest citing a “slight groin injury” as the reason.

If Saints do want to sign Tyson, they will face stiff competition from elsewhere, with Championship sides thought to be interested.

That won’t necessarily worry them too much, though, as the likes of Jose Fonte and Ryan Dickson have opted to ignore advances from second tier sides to move to St Mary’s.

Tyson, proven at League One level, would add some valuable pace to the Saints squad, which is one of the few departments they are currently lacking in.

Saints also have the advantage of Pardew knowing the player well.

The Saints manager was the one who gave Tyson his professional debut, when the pair were together at Reading in 2000.

Tyson, who came through the youth ranks at the Madejski Stadium, made 40 appearances for the Royals, scoring once.

A series of loan spells followed at Maidenhead, Swansea, Cheltenham and Wycombe.

Tyson was then signed on a permanent basis by the Chairboys, in March 2004, for a nominal fee.

After 87 appearances and 44 goals at Adams Park, he was given a chance on loan at Forest in November 2005, when they were then a League One side.

Two goals in eight starts persuaded Forest to pay £675,000 for him in January 2006.

He helped fire them into the Championship in the 2007/08 season and was awarded with his latest deal in January 2009.