Luke McCormick is close to joining National League side Forest Green Rovers on loan for the remainder of the season, Bristol Live understands, with it looking likely that the midfielder may have played his final game for Bristol Rovers.
As first reported by Football League World, the 25-year-old is expected to join the fifth-tier promotion chasers on loan for the remainder of the campaign but his contract at Rovers does expire this summer.
McCormick has had limited game time under new head coach Inigo Calderon in the Spaniard’s first three weeks in charge of the Gas. The midfielder started in the 3-0 defeat at Stevenage before having a cameo off the bench against Leyton Orient and being an unused substitute in the trips to Cambridge United and Ipswich Town.
This campaign has seen the 25-year-old pick up a total of 25 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals and registering one assist while he was also handed the captain’s armband for the FA Cup success at Barnsley in November.
Rovers have already added to their midfield ranks this window with the addition of the experienced Romaine Sawyers on a deal until the end of the season as Calderon looks to steer the Gas clear of relegation threat with his side just five points clear of the League One relegation zone.
Should the deal be completed, McCormick will link up with Rovers teammate Jed Ward who is also on loan at Forest Green. The Gloucestershire outfit are currently top of the National League table but second place York City have two games in hand and are just a point behind Steve Cotterill’s side.
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It also suggests that it is unlikely that the midfielder will be handed a new contract come the end of the season and therefore he may well have played his final game in blue-and-white quarters in the defeat to Orient on New Year’s Day.
McCormick first joined the Gas on loan from Chelsea in the 2020/21 relegation season but rejoined on a permanent basis upon the club’s return to League One having had a loan spell at AFC Wimbledon in between. In total, the midfielder has made 118 appearances for Rovers, scoring 13 goals and registering six assists.
The Gas have also sanctioned a loan exit for Bryant Bilongo this month who joined League Two side Harrogate Town while youngsters Kofi Shaw and Dan Ellison have seen their loan stays at National League sides Yeovil Town and Aldershot Town extended for the remainder of the season. Teenage striker Ollie Dewsbury has returned to the club following his loan spell at Yate Town.