Fulham are reportedly ready to accept reduced offers for Nottingham Forest’s summer target Kevin McDonald and Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough are keen.
The likes of Tom Cairney and Ryan Sessegnon may have hogged the headlines but Kevin McDonald was just as integral for Fulham as the Championship’s most exciting side reached the play-offs last season.
The Scottish midfielder was an ever-present in the centre of the park with his consistency and class making him one of the undisputed first names on Slavisa Jokanovic’s team sheet. No wonder Fulham slapped a £7 million price-tag on his head during the summer transfer window, HITC sources told us.
That was £4 million more than Nottingham Forest were prepared to pay for one of the Championship’s most underrated performers. But half a season later, it appears that Fulham are a little more open to the idea of letting McDonald go.
The Sun (9th January, page 50) reports that Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Rangers are keen to sign the uncapped Scot, and Fulham may be willing to listen to offers of around £1.5 million. For such a reduced fee, Forest would surely be foolish not to launch their hat squarely into the ring.
Newly appointed manager Aitor Karanka has a tough task galvanising a Nottingham Forest slide whose slide down the table over Christmas led to the sacking of manager Mark Warburton.
But the pragmatic Spaniard’s hopes of turning the East Midland giants into a genuine promotion candidate would undoubtedly be aided by the addition of McDonald, a classy and combative midfielder who could add both creative and destructive qualities while reducing the reliance on the ageing David Vaughan.
With McDonald’s price tag dropping by £5.5 million, surely Forest cannot miss an opportunity to try again.
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