Nottingham Forest are closing in on the signing of Barcelona midfielder Marcus McGuane, with the 20-year-old’s move just needing the paperwork to be signed before the deal can be completed, according to the Athletic reporter Paul Taylor.

Forest do have some strong competition for places in midfield, with the likes of Samba Sow, Ben Watson, Ryan Yates, Alfa Semedo and Tiago Silva all competing for regular game time in the middle of the park, but the Reds could be in need of some added quality in possession in midfield during the rest of the season.

McGuane has spent time out on loan with Telstar this season from Barcelona, and the Reds would reportedly have to pay a compensation fee for the midfielder to Telstar were they to secure a move for the 20-year-old before the end of the window.

QUIZ: Can you name these 14 ex-Nottingham Forest goalkeepers?

The midfielder is highly rated having spent time in the academy’s of both Arsenal and Barcelona, and Sabri Lamouchi could see McGuane as the ideal player to bring in to help add some extra quality to the Reds’ midfield as they look to cement their top six place in the Championship.

The verdict

This would be a very intriguing signing for the Reds to pull off, were they to complete the deal for McGuane, which looks highly likely based on this latest update – and the 20-year-old could prove to be an astute addition by Lamouchi if he can come in and make a difference at the City Ground.

McGuane has undoubted quality and potential to develop his game further whilst at Forest, with the 20-year-old having already gained some valuable first team experience with Telstar and also likely to have learnt an awful lot from his spells with both Arsenal and Barcelona’s respective academy’s.

Forest have at times been guilty of giving the ball away in midfield, which has seen them often struggle to really control and dominate many of their matches, and that means Lamouchi’s side have often been reliant on edging tight contests to put themselves in the mix for promotion.

McGuane’s potential arrival could somewhat address that, with the midfielder having excellent technical ability and composure in possession, which could make a real asset for the Reds to call upon in their midfield, especially against sides who are likely to sit back against Forest.