Grant move would mean cash boost
NOTTINGHAM Forest look set to benefit from the “imminent” departure of former Red Jorge Grant from Lincoln City.
The Imps are braced to lose the midfielder this summer, with a number of second tier sides said to be circling.
And if he does go, Forest would receive a cash boost after including a substantial sell-on clause as part of the deal he signed when he made the switch to Lincoln in 2019.
Grant left the City Ground for Sincil Bank for an “undisclosed fee”, putting pen to paper on a contract which included various add-ons.
He signed fresh terms with the League One outfit in January, which included the possibility of being able to join a Championship club (or higher) if a release clause was met something which would not have come into effect if promotion had been secured.
“The deal that we brought Jorge into the club on was based on the business model at the time,” chief executive Liam Scully told Lincolnshirelive.
“Forest have retained a future interest. Equally, when a player is in the scenario Jorge was in last year, when he signed a new contract, the one thing that would be protected, from his point of view, would be an under-value transfer if we were in League One and a Championship club showed interest.
“That’s not a Lincoln City failing in any way, it’s just how the market works.
“Our options, in terms of managing Jorge, would have been we didn’t have him for part of last season, which would have meant a transfer at that stage. Or we retain him, have him on the pitch, but then there was every chance this would play out.
“It’s a balance between realising assets as a finance value and maintaining a team on the pitch. That’s where the sporting side and business side of a football club have got to be in tune.
“If one trumps the other, you can’t move forward. You need finances to move forward, but you need your on-field assets as well.”
Grant has previously been linked with a return to Forest, while the likes of Brentford, Swansea City and Reading are also said to have taken an interest.
The 26-year-old has made 89 appearances for Lincoln and scored 19 goals, and was a key figure as they came close to promotion last time out, being named Player of the Season.
“I think Jorge moving on is imminent,” Scully said. “He’s got suitors in the Championship and, in the grand scheme of things, we are powerless to prevent that from happening. We’ll shake Jorge’s hand and wish him all the best should that moment materialise.”