Sources: Gillingham Town agree deal to sign Brentford star Conor McManus

Gillingham Town have agreed a deal to sign Brentford defender Conor McManus, sources have told Football Insider.

The 22-year-old left-back will join the Gills on a permanent transfer ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Sources say McManus has agreed personal terms with Gillingham and a full agreement between the clubs is in place.

The Republic of Ireland Under 21 international joined the Bees in 2023 and has been a regular in their academy.

McManus has never made a competitive first-team appearance for Brentford, but has featured in pre-season matches, including a 1-1 draw against Benfica in 2024.

If all goes through, the defender will become Gillingham’s tenth signing of the summer.

The League Two side are aiming to form a side that is capable of fighting for promotion after back-to-back bottom-half finishes.

Who is Conor McManus?

After progressing through the ranks of Cabinteely FC as a kid, McManus’ talent was spotted by Bray Wanderers, who soon completed the signing of the defender.

At the Irish side, he would make his first-team debut at 17 years old and make a total of 16 appearances for the club before he moved to Brentford.

Since joining the Bees, McManus has mainly featured in their B team, featuring across the entire backline, but mainly at left-back.

In the 2024-25 campaign, he made 30 appearances for the B team despite injury issues.

On top of this, he has also picked up four caps for the Republic of Ireland’s Under-21s squad.

On his debut, he scored two goals against Hungary’s Under 21s in what was a memorable first appearance.

Can Gillingham win promotion back to League One this season?

Gillingham are now going into their fifth season in League Two since their relegation, with the club yet to produce a decent promotion challenge.

Despite being in the playoffs for almost half of the 2025-26 campaign, the Gills’ form quickly collapsed.

This would have disappointed much of the fanbase, especially as the club ended up in the exact same position as they did in the 2024-25 season.

However, given Gareth Ainsworth’s credentials and given how many new signings have come through the door this summer, Gillingham may have an outside shot of promotion.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen where the Gills finish in the upcoming 2026-27 campaign as the club looks to finally return to the third tier.