Shamrock Rovers star Michael Noonan agrees January move to Nottingham Forest

Noonan will move as a free agent but both Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic will be entitled to compensation

Michael Noonan's medical at Nottingham Forest is booked for Wednesday. Pic: ©INPHO/Lorcan Doherty

Ireland U21 striker Michael Noonan has agreed a pre-contract to join Nottingham Forest in January from Shamrock Rovers.

As the Irish Examiner first revealed in February, the Hoops striker seemed to be on his way to TSG Hoffenheim when the Hoops accepted a €1.8m fee, only for the player to opt out.

While Rovers manager Stephen Bradley confirmed at the time that his player had signed a new contract, there was a vagueness around whether it was just a bump in terms rather than duration.

Bradley said more recently he didn’t expect to lose Noonan without a fee but it transpires he will move as a free agent.

Following their early exits from Europe and the FAI Cip, Rovers will play their final game of the season away to Dundalk on October 30 but he won’t become a Forest player until January 1. His medical is booked for Wednesday.

European clubs intensified their interest in Noonan when a prospective transfer from his former club St Patrick’s Athletic to Manchester City fell through. As Noonan was 16 then, City wouldn’t have been permitted to enlist him under Brexit rules but were open to placing him with one of their feeder clubs around the continent or allowing him to remain at St Pat’s.

Ajax joined TSG Hoffenheim in making a serious move to entice the striker out of Ireland but once he turned 18 on July 31, the UK market was always his likely destination.

Forest made their interest clear earlier in the year, aided by a recommendation from their Irish-born coach Andy Reid, and tried to hatch a deal before the recent transfer deadline that would have seen Noonan move immediately.

That didn’t materialise, enabling the English Premier League club to secure personal terms with the player with a view to switching at the start of the next window.

Rovers will be entitled to receive a Fifa training and development compensation sum of around €200,000 for his two years at the club, with St Pat’s banking a lower amount for their contribution to his nurturing into one of the LOI’s hottest properties.

Noonan will link up with his Ireland underage teammate and friend Grady McDonnell, initially in Forest’s U21 squad.