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Nottingham Forest have agreed to sign Shamrock Rovers striker Michael Noonan on a free transfer, with the 18-year-old due to undergo a medical on Wednesday. Rovers are expected to receive only low six-figure training compensation despite earlier hopes of a fee of about €750,000.
Nottingham Forest have agreed to sign Shamrock Rovers striker Michael Noonan on a free transfer, with the Republic of Ireland underage international due to undergo a medical on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old chose the Premier League club after turning 18 earlier this summer. Shamrock Rovers are expected to receive only basic training compensation in the low six figures. The League of Ireland champions had previously remained hopeful of securing a deal worth about €750,000 for one of their most highly regarded young players. Under post-Brexit transfer rules, Noonan became eligible to sign for a UK club when he turned 18 in July.
His contract with Rovers was due to expire in December, meaning the Dublin club was unlikely to receive a substantial transfer fee unless an agreement was reached before its expiry. Noonan joined Rovers from St Patrick's Athletic in 2025 and signed his first professional contract with the club. He has scored 17 goals in 81 appearances for Stephen Bradley's team and has represented the Republic of Ireland at underage level.
The forward made European history when he scored against Molde in the Uefa Conference League aged 16 years and 197 days. That goal made him the youngest scorer in the history of the competition. Interest in Noonan had grown over recent months. Manchester City, Celtic, Ajax, Hoffenheim and Nottingham Forest were among the clubs linked with him, while Rovers had hoped to make a significant profit from the player's development.
Ajax had been regarded as a strong option after reports in June that Noonan was close to joining the Dutch club. He ultimately decided against that move, having also rejected a proposed €1.8 million transfer to Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in February. The move to Forest means Rovers will not receive a fee comparable with the amount they might have secured during earlier negotiations.
Instead, the club is set to collect compensation based primarily on the training and development it provided to the player. Noonan's departure is also connected to an investigation into alleged third-party ownership issues at Shamrock Rovers. The club self-reported a potential breach to Fifa last year involving Noonan's contract and a separate agreement concerning goalkeeper Alex Noonan, who is not related to Michael. Alex Noonan joined Ipswich Town on loan earlier this month, with that move due to become permanent.
The allegations involving both players concern whether a percentage of any future transfer fee was owed to their agent, David Moss. The Sunday Times reported that the Football Association of Ireland opened an investigation into the allegations at Rovers. The club had already referred the matter to the football authorities after its former chief executive, John Martin, left Rovers to become the FAI's director of football.
Martin was Rovers' chief executive when Michael Noonan moved from St Patrick's Athletic to the club. Questions surrounding the arrangements have focused on whether any part of a transfer fee for either player should have been payable to Moss. Moss has said that he complied with 'all legal and regulatory requirements'. He also said that he acted in the player's interest during the negotiations and arrangements connected to the transfer.
Martin has similarly rejected any suggestion that he acted against the club's interests. When asked about the deal earlier this year, he said that any agreements he made were always made in the 'best interest of the football club'. Martin added that there was 'no other way of looking at it'. He said: 'When I was there, I gave everything I had to the job.
I gave my life to the job. I think anyone who's close to me will know that. I did what I thought was in the best interest of the club, which was to sign good players.
' Rovers had self-reported the allegation to the FAI last year, after Martin's departure for the association. The club's decision to refer the matter came as it attempted to clarify the contractual and ownership arrangements around two young players who had attracted interest from clubs in Britain and Europe. For Rovers, the outcome represents a reduced financial return on a player they had hoped to sell for a substantial fee.
For Forest, the agreement provides an opportunity to develop an Ireland underage international who has already made a mark in European competition before reaching his 18th birthday.
IrishTimesSport 
The42_ie:Nottingham Forest land Shamrock Rovers striker Michael Noonan on free transferThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Noonan Rovers Transfer Compensation Brexit John Martin FAI Michael Noonan Transfer Nottingham Forest Shamrock Rovers Training Compensation FAI Investigation
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