Reports suggest that Nottingham Forest have reached an agreement with Rangers for the signing of Barrie McKay for a fee of around £500,000.

The signing has not officially been completed yet as the 22-year-old is understood to be undergoing a medical with the club this afternoon which he will need to pass before being able to join up with The Championship side. It is hoped that he is able to join the rest of the Forest squad in America where they are currently on a pre-season trip. 

An exciting young player

Mark Warburton has stated that he is looking to bring in around three of four new faces before the season kicks off against Millwall in August with a couple of deals said to be in the pipeline. A deal for McKay appears to be the one which is closest to completion after gathering pace in the last few days.

If McKay does decide to join Forest, it will be a real coup for the Reds as the 22-year-old has a lot of potential. It was reported only in January that Red Bull Leipzig had bid £6 million for the winger with a host of other big names across football also interested in securing his services. This shows the reputation he has built up during his time in Scotland and he could be a vital player for Forest next season.

Since coming through the Rangers youth academy in 2012, he has gone on to make 103 appearances for the club, scoring 12 goals in the process as well as a number of assists. He has also forged a great partnership with James Tavernier down the right hand side with Forest also reportedly interested in bringing the Rangers full back to The City Ground

McKay has had a very successful time at Rangers. (picture: Getty Images / Jeff J Mitchell)
McKay has had a very successful time at Rangers. (picture: Getty Images / Jeff J Mitchell)

His performances for Rangers have seen him rewarded on the international stage. He has previously featured for Scotland at Under 18, Under 19 and Under 21 level before finally receiving a call up to the first team by Gordon Strachan in May 2016 before making his debut against France as a substitute in a 3-0 defeat in June. 

McKay leaves Ibrox in controversial fashion

It has been a difficult few weeks for McKay as the situation has developed over the last few weeks. He turned down a new contract at the club earlier this year and the Scottish Premier League side are now looking to cash in rather than seeing him leave for a free transfer next time out. 

He was recently left out of Rangers' Europa League squad and had also been told to train with the Under 20s by manager Pedro Caixinha. Caixinha appears to be growing increasingly frustrated with key players leaving Ibrox this summer with many players already leaving the club such as Joe Garner who has joined Ipswich Town

There were other teams interested in securing the services of McKay but the fact he has previously worked with Warburton and his assistant David Weir seems to have been a key factor in his choice to opt for Forest. Neil Warnock's Cardiff City were the only other Championship side to register a serious interest in the winger but McKay appears to have opted for a move to Nottingham. 

Could Tavernier be next to make the switch to Forest? (picture: Getty Images / Ian MacNicol)
Could Tavernier be next to make the switch to Forest? (picture: Getty Images / Ian MacNicol)

Warburton has already stated how he is looking for value for money this summer and will therefore be pleased to get this deal done at a bargain fee of around £500,000. Forest would have had to pay at least three-times this amount if it was not for McKay's contract situation. Rangers do not want to keep an unhappy player who could agree to leave for free in January and are therefore willing to do business at a cheap price. 

McKay will join up with Jason Cummings who has also joined Forest from Scottish side Hibernian this summer. Warburton could yet dip back into the Scottish market to make further additions to his Forest side ahead of next season as he looks to build a team capable of challenging at the top of the division and for a place in the Premier League

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Sam Straw
VAVEL Championship Editor. Journalism Student at The University of Sheffield. Nottingham Forest Season-Ticket Holder. Contributing to VAVEL UK since October 2016.