Notts County complete signing of former Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder from MK Dons

The 23-year-old spent the final months of last season away from MK Dons, having made a loan switch to Barnsley in early February. There was an option for the Reds to make the move permanent, but it was not taken up.

He returned to the Dons for pre-season but has departed ahead of the club’s League Two season opener. Grant has joined Notts County on a three-year deal, while Aaron Nemane has moved in the opposite direction has moved in the opposite direction for an undisclosed fee.

Notts County director Richard Montague said: “While it’s never nice to say goodbye to such a popular member of the squad, the overall package of this deal, which will see us receive a substantial fee for Aaron plus a player in Conor who we’ve admired for a long time, was one we felt we couldn’t turn down.

“We will of course miss the many qualities Aaron brings as a player and person, but we have to look at the bigger picture and try to make decisions that we feel will benefit the club most, in both the short and long term.

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“We’re very excited to welcome a player of Conor’s ability and potential in an area of the squad we were still keen to strengthen – and we’re waiting on authorisation from other clubs to complete further deals which will see us add more quality and depth before the transfer window closes.”

Grant cut his teeth in his native Republic of Ireland, representing Malahide United and Shamrock Rovers before moving into Sheffield Wednesday’s youth system.

While he did not manage to make a breakthrough at Hillsborough, he did go on to see senior action at Rochdale before joining MK Dons.

Discussing the arrival of Grant, Magpies boss Stuart Maynard said: “He ticks a lot of boxes in terms of what we’re looking for in the attacking third and adds tremendous competition for places, the need for which I’ve talked a lot about this summer.

“Conor went on loan to League One last season and got into the play-offs - and we believe that reflects the level of player he is. He needs to find a home and a footballing system that suits him - and we believe we can give him that.”