Chris Wood is hopeful of agreeing a new Nottingham Forest deal – after spearheading Nuno Espirito Santo’s side’s stunning start to the season

Chris Wood is hopeful of agreeing fresh terms with Nottingham Forest amid discussions over the length of a new contract for the club’s top scorer.

The 33-year-old’s current deal expires at the end of the campaign meaning that he is free to agree a free transfer move to an overseas club from January 1, if he has not committed himself to Forest by then.

Mail Sport understands Forest’s initial offer was a one-year extension, with Wood seeking at least two. The forward is thought to earn about £100,000 a week and is one of the highest-paid players at the City Ground – a status he is naturally keen to retain.

There is no blanket policy at Forest regarding the length of deals offered to players over 30, with a player’s fitness levels, status within the squad and performance taken into account.

Wood’s 10 goals have helped lift Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to fourth in the table and supporters are dreaming of a Champions League campaign next season.

Wood is enjoying his time at Forest and believes he can continue to play at a high level well into his thirties.

Nuno Espirito Santo has got the best out of the New Zealander, who has netted 10 goals in the Premier League

Forest climbed up to fourth in the Premier League after a 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Saturday night

‘People are playing for much longer now,’ Wood told Mail Sport in an exclusive interview in November. ‘They feel ripe and strong at 35, 36. It’s about mentality, nutrition. People are eating cleaner. There was a big drinking culture 15 years ago and it’s not really there anymore.

‘If you go back the 1980s and 1990s, players were out all the time – that’s just how it was. Maybe that’s why people retired at 32, 33. People still say ‘once you’re 30, you’re over the hill’, but it’s just not the case.

‘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.’