Michael Noonan is reportedly due for a medical at Nottingham Forest this Wednesday after agreeing to leave Shamrock Rovers on a free transfer in January.
Under Brexit law, Noonan is eligible to sign for a UK club since he turned 18 in July.
The striker’s contract with Rovers is due to end in December so the League of Ireland champions will not receive a similar fee to the one they received when Victor Ozhianvuna was sold to Arsenal for €2 million.
Ozhianvuna also leaves the Tallaght club for the Premier League in January.
Rovers will receive training ground compensation for Noonan who left St Pat’s in 2025 to sign his first professional deal with Rovers.
Both Rovers and Forest have been approached for comment.
If the move is completed, Noonan will link up with the former Republic of Ireland player Andy Reid, who is the head of football development at the City Ground.
Rovers had hoped to make a profit from the sale of the Ireland under-21 international, who has scored 17 goals in 81 appearances for Stephen Bradley’s team, with interest in recent time from Manchester City, Celtic, Ajax, Hoffenheim in Germany and belatedly Forest.
Last season’s potential €2 million sale to Hoffenheim sparked ongoing investigations by Fifa and the FAI into allegations of third-party ownership.
Noonan’s agent David Moss denies any wrong-doing.
Rovers self-reported the allegation to the FAI last year after their CEO John Martin left the club to become the association’s director of football. When Martin was asked about the deal earlier this year he commented that he had always acted in the “best interests” of the club.