Nottingham Forest ‘target’ Gavin Whyte has been hailed as “one of the best deals I’ve ever made” by his manager.
The Reds are said to have tabled a £2m bid for the Oxford United winger, with the Belfast Telegraph reporting he “could be set for a big money move” to the City Ground this summer.
Whyte made the switch to Oxford from Irish Premier League side Crusaders 12 months ago, when he put pen to paper on a three-year-deal.
The Northern Ireland international was a regular for the League One team during his first season in English football, making 47 appearances and scoring nine goals.
That included a hat-trick to see off Shrewsbury Town 3-2 towards the end of April – his first treble in professional football.
It earned him praise from boss Karl Robinson, who said at the time that taking a chance on Whyte had paid off.
“He’s a quality player,” Robinson said of the 23-year-old after that triumph over Shrewsbury.
“We took a big chance on him in the summer, paid a bit of money for him, and that’s certainly probably one of the best deals I’ve ever made in relation to a football club.
“He’s performing, he’s fantastic. He’s electric, the little man.”
