Boss Mick McCarthy has confirmed that on-trial midfielder Kevin Bru is joining the club. The 25-year-old midfielder joined in training with the rest of the squad at today’s Open Day, which was attended by around 4,700 people, having been included in the annual photo call earlier in the morning.
"We’ve just signed two today in Kevin Bru and Balint,” McCarthy said. "Kevin’s a midfield player who looks a really gifted footballer. He was in the school of excellence at Clairfontaine, he’s got a good background to him.
"Sometimes people drift for a while and I’m hoping that he can give us something. He looks a nice, talented, positive footballer who plays forward passes.”
The deal, which looks likely to be a one-year contract plus an option for a further year, is likely to be formalised this afternoon.
Paris-born Bru, who was a free agent, was a youth player with IFF Clairfontaine and Rennes, where he made his break into senior football when he made two Ligue 1 sub appearances in the 2006/07 season.
A set-piece expert, 6ft tall Bru continued his career in the French second division, spending time on loan at Châteauroux and Clermont Foot before joining Dijon FCO on a permanent basis in January 2010. He moved on to US Boulogne a year later and then spent 2012/13 with FC Istres.
Last season, after a reported €250,000 move, he scored one goal in 26 appearances in Bulgaria with Levski Sofia, with whom he played twice in the Europa League, before leaving at the end of the campaign.
Having won U18 and U19 caps with France, Bru switched international allegiance in 2011 and has won two caps with Mauritius. His older brother Jonathan has also played international football for Mauritius and is also a free agent having been released by the Melbourne Victory in January.