Chris Hughton confirmed after tonight's goalless friendly at MK Dons he is mulling over a loan switch to Nottingham Forest for central defender Dani Ayala.

The Spanish youth international is wanted by the Championship club on a season-long deal, but Hughton revealed he has yet to make a final decision whether to sanction a move to the City Ground.

'At the moment nothing is confirmed,' he said. 'There has been that interest and we'll just see where that goes but nothing has yet been confirmed. It is an enquiry – that is all I would say.

'We'll certainly know more over the next day or two and then we have got a decision to make at the club on what we do on that one. I have to make that decision but I have five centre halves at the moment.

'He is a good young talent, he is young and he an injury last year that restricted his games. I think from memory he only played six or seven times in the first team and he is one that we would like to see how he develops but that is for the next day or two.'

Hughton was prepared to offload midfielder Andrew Crofts to Brighton earlier this week with the Welsh international re-joining his old club on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Hughton admitted he was unable to guarantee Crofts regular football after the midfielder had slipped down the pecking order during City's successful Premier League campaign.

'I think it is a good move perhaps for both the player and the club,' he said. 'He was very restricted in the number of games he played last season. He is the type of player who wants to be playing week in, week out.

'Although it wasn't in my period of time here I think we would like to thank him for the service he gave this club over the last couple of seasons.

'He served us very well, in both promotion seasons, but that is one that has moved on now and we wish him all the best but we have to concentrate very much on what we are trying to do now in the future.'

Hughton was satisfied with another useful fitness work out at the League One promotion hopefuls.

'These are a good side,' he said. 'They play a very good brand of football and they do it very, very well. I think we got an awful lot out of tonight's fixture. We perhaps nullified each other.'