Town skipper Jon Walters is understood to be on the verge of a £3 million move to Premier League Stoke City. Walters has been tipped to make his Portman Road exit all summer with QPR recently claimed to have had a £2.5 million offer rebuffed by the Blues and weekend reports that the former Republic of Ireland B international had handed in a transfer request.

The Blues and Potters are believed to have agreed the fee and Walters is expected at the Britannia Stadium today to talk personal terms with the move looking likely to be completed before the end of the week.

The 26-year-old, who is contracted to Town until 2012, was strongly linked with Stoke in the summer of 2008, but no offer was eventually forthcoming, and then again earlier in this close season.

Manager Roy Keane, who made Walters his captain last season, said in January that the Birkenhead-born player is capable of playing in the top flight: “Jon’s been outstanding. He’s a been a really good leader for us, even earlier in the season when we were having a difficult spell.

“There’s no doubt in my mind, Jon Walters could easily be playing in the Premiership, so we’re very lucky to have him. He’s a very, very important player for us.”

Walters joined Town from Chester City for an initial £100,000 in January 2007, the deal also including top-ups relating to appearances by the player and promotion for the Blues which would could have taken the fee to £200,000. The one-time Blackburn and Bolton trainee coincidentally made his Town debut against Stoke in a 0-0 draw in Staffordshire.

If Walters completes his move, the Blues are appear almost certain to use some of the cash raised to tempt Cardiff City into selling number one target Michael Chopra, their offers so far having been refused by the Bluebirds.

Meanwhile, a season ticket in D Block of the Cobbold Stand has been revealed as the fourth most expensive in the country at £1,001, higher than the top-priced seats at Manchester United and Newcastle and cheaper than only Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea’s most costly tickets.

Photo: Action Images

blueherts added 14:04 - Aug 4 This is a great fee to get for him As everyone says we got the best from him early doors I do not believe it was a rift with RK - His missus wanted to move back to NW to be near her family and it probably was that more than anything Good Luck JW - NOW THIS IS LAST CHANCE SALOON FOR RK and SC get decent cover with money or go
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ITFC1985 added 14:07 - Aug 4 DOOMED........that is all.....
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stack_that_cheese added 14:07 - Aug 4 good money for an average player! alex bruce would make a good club captain
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campowasgod added 14:07 - Aug 4 £3m = deal !! I must mention that I have a seat in block D and you do get a free cup of tea or coffee (it really is your choice) at half time.
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Manic_Blue added 14:10 - Aug 4 Decent player and always put the effort in. But for £3m there's only one response - sell quick before Stoke change their minds!
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nobrain added 14:11 - Aug 4 Great first season for us, but has gone off the boil since - so £3M would be a good deal. And he is NOT, NOT, NOT a striker (Watch him score a hat-full for Stoke now!)
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jas0999 added 14:12 - Aug 4 Great bit of business. Obviously concerend by the lack of players we have at the club, but for me Jon Walters is very average. I know many will disagree, but personally I thought he had more poor than good games for us last season. Can't fault his work rate, but final ball when playing right midfield was poor and his finishing as a striker was often woeful. That said good luck to him. Great move for all concerned though.

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bluelady added 14:12 - Aug 4 Stack-the-cheese assume you are being ironic with the Bruce comment?
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hampstead_blue added 14:12 - Aug 4 Great business. About time someone paid us over the odds for a very average player. Normally it's us that gets done (thinking of the small fee for Garvan). Thanks JW.
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CavendishBlue added 14:12 - Aug 4 RE:free half time beverage .Sounds about rifght for the clubs marketing team....
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ReusersTown added 14:15 - Aug 4 Yusss!! if this is true which i doubt, this is the deal of the century. i'd of let him go for around 500k In my opinion he should be moving his way down the leagues not up. Ok he had one decent season but on the whole he lacks pace or quality and what really annoys me is the legend of 'how great his work rate and closing down is' really his closing down is innefective as he does not have the pace to get close enough and draws him out of position and if you watch most of his headers are won against small left backs. Against centre backs or full backs with heading ability he gets dominated

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jas0999 added 14:15 - Aug 4 p.s. any news on the Fullop deal - this has been dragging on and on ...
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Jay added 14:15 - Aug 4 GREAT. This has totally ruined any incentive I have to go to any games this coming season. Sadly, I feel as if I have been ripped off - receive my season ticket, only for half our squad to be sold, and STILL have the dross remaining. I don't really care if Chopra comes here or not, stop fannying about and make your mind up. Jon - I will really miss you, your passion for the shirt, and on a personal level, your amazing posterior....

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stack_that_cheese added 14:17 - Aug 4 yes bluelady. was sad to see bruce & garvan leave, but less so if walters does actually move on... i hope keane will give stead a chance at the start of the season to prove himself
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tom_the_blue added 14:17 - Aug 4 hmmmmm, free beverage, that'll be the £1, but what about the other £1000? How is Portman Road a better place to come to watch football than Old Trafford?
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MarcFowler added 14:17 - Aug 4 Oh my god. I genuinely thought that was made up. That is a hell of a deal - £3m for a player who hasn't really performed in 2 years. Yeah, he's a good leader and a decent enough outlet but that's enough money for me to be totally happy with him going. Good luck man.
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Itfcjp added 14:17 - Aug 4 Get In! £3 mill, what a sell. Cmon, lets go get Chopra :D
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TotalBlue added 14:18 - Aug 4 A couple of points, Firstly as I understand contract law(Only basic knowledge as a Contractor and company director) any money we owe to Chester would be to the old company not the new if the old company has not been fully wound up the receivers could ask for the money but I think this would be unlikely. Has the Fullop deal been completed and not announced as Clegg and Keane would like to do a big we are great here are 3 big names we have signed in one press conference. Would be sad to see JW leave but for that price it makes business sence I get the feeling this is all tieing up too neatly to be something just happened talks have been going on for a while and I would not be surprised if there are 3 or 4 clubs in this deal basically Ipswich saying to Stoke you can have him if Cardiff let us have Chopra etc etc. Could even be possibble We buy chopra for 1.5 Mil and pay off Sunderland the 1.5 owed by cardiff

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FinnishBlue added 14:18 - Aug 4 Huh! Roy, what have you been doing all the summer? Why buy and sell players three days before season? New goalkeeper or not? New striker or not? Team should be ready at least one month before season. That's the way you can have results from day one. Remember last season? Why to make same mistakes again? We will win max one game on first six. Then on September you will loan five players from Sunderland and panic is ready. Really hope I'm wrong...

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stiffshorts added 14:22 - Aug 4 goodbye Jon. Pity you had a such a poor season last year. Oh & by the way, anyone willing to £3m for you is drunk and should be arrested but..... if it gives us the dosh to buy someone who can score then it's ok with me.
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campowasgod added 14:23 - Aug 4 tom the blue Its a great view (if there anything worthwhile to see) , seats are soft and you get a free programme . However considering our owners experience in Corp-Hosp it is a complete shambles and a total rip-off.
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katemoss added 14:27 - Aug 4 Out of the thirty or so players in the current squad, I couldn't care less about any single player. You could give the lot away. I am a supporter of Ipswich Town. Why? I ask myself. What are we being asked to support? Even Keane is preparing his exit strategy, not enough investment, couldn't get the right players etc....The only thing worth following Town for this season, is the inevitable car crash and tears we've got in prospect.

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bluelady added 14:30 - Aug 4 i see Forest had a 1 million bid for Whittingham turned down, offer them 1.5 Keano!
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DanLyles added 14:32 - Aug 4 I agree with whoever said that Walters is neither a winger nor a striker. He works hard but lacks real quality imo. We have a replacement at the club already in Carlos Edwards and we can use the money to buy Chopra. With this kind of money coming in we could put in a double £5m bid for Chops and Whittingham!!!
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devontractorboy added 14:34 - Aug 4 There's agreat deal of asuption going on, on here!! If we are about to get some great signings...Great, if not....I'll be voting with my feet. Lets all just wait and see shall we?
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