LEWIS Grabban is on the verge of completing a permanent move to Championship big-spenders Nottingham Forest after Cherries accepted a bid for the striker.

Reports in Nottingham earlier this week said the offer had been for £5m, while Sky Sports today suggested it was “in the region of £6m”.

Grabban is understood to have been given permission to speak to Forest, although a prospective move could be hijacked should another club come in at the 11th hour.

In the event of no further bids being tabled, the 30-year-old frontman is expected to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical at the City Ground tomorrow.

Grabban has made just 22 appearances – and scored one goal, a penalty – since rejoining Cherries from Norwich City in January 2016.

The Londoner penned a three-and-a-half-year deal and returned to Dean Court for an undisclosed fee, believed to be have been in excess of £7m.

He made four starts and 11 appearances from the bench in Cherries’ second season in the Premier League and also featured in an FA Cup win at Portsmouth.

Grabban was restricted to three substitute appearances in the top flight in 2016-17 and netted his only goal from the spot when Cherries exited the EFL Cup at the hands of Preston.

His last game in a Cherries shirt was the dismal 3-0 defeat against former club Millwall in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2017.

Grabban has enjoyed three fruitful loan spells in the Championship during the past two seasons – and has featured in back-to-back play-off finals.

He helped Reading reach Wembley in May 2017 when they were beaten by Huddersfield and tasted defeat with Aston Villa against Fulham this year.

Grabban, who spent the first half of last season at Sunderland, scored 20 Championship goals in 34 games, including eight in 10 starts for Villa.

He initially joined Cherries for £300,000 from Rotherham in 2012 and made an inauspicious start under former managerial pair Paul Groves and Shaun Brooks.

But Grabban flourished under Eddie Howe and hit 13 goals to help the club finish as runners-up in League One in 2013.

He then netted 22 times during Cherries’ 2013-14 campaign in the Championship before Norwich triggered a £3m release clause in his contract to take him to Carrow Road in June 2014.

Nottingham Forest boss Aitor Karanka recently admitted he had previously attempted to sign Grabban during his time as manager of Middlesbrough.

Should he sign for Forest, Grabban could feature against Cherries in a pre-season friendly at the City Ground on July 28.