Notts County closing in on Stoke City agreement | OneFootball

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Notts County are "set" to secure the permanent signing of Stoke City defender Lewis Macari when the January window opens, according to Alan Nixon.

The League Two side may now be in a stronger financial position to get deals over the line now they are back in the EFL - but they weren't afraid to use the loan market during the summer transfer window.

Ollie Tipton also joined on loan, with the 20-year-old making the temporary switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

They mostly focused on permanent signings though, with Aidan Stone, Daniel Crowley, Jodi Jones, David McGoldrick and Will Randall all signing deals to join the fourth-tier outfit.

The signings of Jones and McGoldrick looked particularly good with the duo having the experience of playing at a higher level - and the latter shone at Derby County last season in League One.

With these signings in mind, and Dan Gosling coming in earlier this month, it's no surprise that County are currently thriving in the fourth tier, even though they lost Ruben Rodrigues on the expiration of his contract.

It looks as though Luke Williams' side aren't quite satisfied with where they are at in terms of transfers at the moment, with the Midlands side pursuing a permanent agreement for 21-year-old Macari.

Who is Lewis Macari?

Macari is a 21-year-old defender who can operate both as a central defender and as a full-back on either side, making him a versatile asset for Williams.

He is currently on loan at County from Stoke, who have loaned him out a number of times during his spell at the bet365 Stadium.

The former Scotland youth international linked up with non-league side Market Drayton Town before making loan switches to Irish side Dundalk.

Making 37 appearances in total for the latter side, that was seemingly enough to persuade his current loan side to make a move for him.

For those who recognise his surname, his grandfather Lou previously played for the likes of Celtic and Manchester United and some of his other family members also played professional football.

Macari spent the early parts of the season on the sidelines, so it's not too clear whether he will become one of the first names on the teamsheet for his current loan side if he joins permanently.

But you feel he will have more chance of playing in the fourth tier than he will at the bet365 Stadium.

He clearly has a connection to Stoke with his father and uncle previously playing for the Potters, but he needs to be playing every week at 21 and it doesn't seem certain that he will get a real opportunity to shine in Staffordshire.

Ki-Jana Hoever, Junior Tchamadeu and Lynden Gooch can all operate at right-back under Alex Neil - and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Hoever join permanently considering this is his second loan spell at Stoke.

Even if he doesn't join permanently, a replacement may come in and this is why it would be difficult to see Macari securing that much game time next season.