Forest chairman Nigel Doughty came out yesterday and said he wanted to hold on to Hart, who is desperate to take over at Leeds.
However, it is understood that Doughty is willing to let Hart return to the club he served as a player and then youth coach because the pair have fallen out recently over finance.
Hart is halfway through a five-year contract and Forest would be willing to release him for around £200k.
Leeds could just about stretch to that amount and Hart is much more within their reach than say Southampton's Gordon Strachan, who is admired by the Elland Road board.
Leicester's Micky Adams is also under consideration, but Hart is very much the front runner since George Graham ruled himself out.