Richie Laryea set to join Nottingham Forest from Toronto FC | OneFootball

Richie Laryea is set to complete a transfer from Toronto FC to Nottingham Forest.

The 26-year-old has established himself as one of the best right-backs in MLS (also capable of playing on the left) since joining TFC from Orlando City in 2019, when he helped his new club reach the MLS Cup final before losing 3-1 to the Seattle Sounders.

Laryea also has 22 senior internatonal caps under his belt for Canada, who currently top the CONCACAF region's World Cup qualifying table.

An initial report from BBC Nottingham Sport on Wednesday revealed Forest's interest in Laryea. That has since been backed up by journalist Fabrizio Romano, who stated the defender will arrive in England on Thursday to undergo a medical before signing a three-and-a-half-year deal.

According to TSN's Matthew Scianitti, Toronto had offered Laryea a new four-year deal worth around $925k per year which would have made him the highest-paid full-back in MLS, but the player wanted to fulfill his dream of playing in Europe. It's understood Forest will pay in the region of $1m for Laryea's services.

"It’s a dream of mine to play in Europe," Laryea said at the end of the 2021 MLS season in which Toronto finished 13th in the Eastern Conference. "I also love playing for this club, and this is my hometown, they [Toronto FC] gave me a second chance in MLS. I’ll see what happens. I want to stay open to a lot of different things, and to challenge myself.”

Aside from the player's talent, Forest's interest in Laryea and the MLS market is hardly surprising. The two-time European champions' chief executive officer Dane Murphy was born in Connecticut and represented the New York Cosmos and DC United during his playing days - he also served as the latter's technical director in 2019.

As 90min, Forest tabled a bid for USMNT and Boavista right-back Reggie Cannan (formerly of FC Dallas) over the summer, although a move failed to transpire.

Forest currently sit ninth in the Championship table ahead of Laryea's arrival, six points behind Huddersfield Town in the final promotion playoff spot with a game in hand.