GILLINGHAM have accepted a £950,000 offer from Nottingham Forest for striker Marlon King.

King, currently out injured, has been given permission to speak to Forest to agree personal terms as chairman Paul Scally finalised the deal yesterday.

But Gills won't get all the cash as Barnet will receive 20 per cent of the proceeds from a clause written into King's contract when he signed in June 2000 for £250,000.

The move for King came after Forest agreed to sell Marlon Harewood to West Ham for £500,000 earlier this week

Gills chairman Paul Scally said: "This is the best deal we can do at the present time and there is no guarantee we could do any better in the future.

"In fact this is a better deal than the £1million offer we received from Forest a couple of months ago because we are now getting the money up front, instead of over a 12-month period, and unfortunately our financial situation is common knowledge."

King will only be allowed to play against his former club on March 6 with the permission of Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler.