Cardiff City left-back Mark Kennedy is understood to have been at Portman Road yesterday to talk personal terms and to undergo a medical. As reported last night, Town and the Bluebirds are believed to have agreed a £75,000 fee for the 34-year-old ex-Ireland international.
Kennedy was previously targeted by Roy Keane back in March and prior to that in January. A left-back is very much on Keane’s summer wish-list with Shane O’Connor the only left-footed natural full-back currently at the club.
Kennedy is a player well-known to Keane, the two having played together for the Republic of Ireland, for whom the Dubliner won 34 caps, scoring four goals.
The 5ft 11in tall left-back or winger played youth football at Home Farm where the likes Owen Garvan, Shane Supple and Alan Lee also spent time as youngsters and where Garvan’s father is a coach.
Kennedy’s first English club was Millwall, who he joined in 1992, moving on to Liverpool in 1995 for £1.5 million. After three years at Anfield, during which time he went on loan at QPR, Kennedy signed for Wimbledon for £1.75 million.
A year later he made a switch to Manchester City for £1 million, then after two years at Maine Road Kennedy moved on to Wolves for £2 million.
In 2006 after five years at Molineux, Kennedy joined Crystal Palace on a free transfer, moving on to Cardiff in the summer of 2008, again on a free.
Since his switch to Wales, Kennedy has made 69 starts and seven sub appearances but without scoring.
Meanwhile, academy midfielder Elliot Scotcher has been named on the bench for the Wales U17s for this afternoon’s game against Sweden in Falkenberg.
The match is the last in the friendly tournament with Wales having lost 2-1 to Iceland and drawn 1-1 with Norway. Scotcher won his first two U17 caps in those games, coming on as a sub in the first and starting the second.