Town Closing in On Clarke Signing - Ipswich Town News
TWTD understands Town are closing in on the permanent signing of Arsenal defender Harry Clarke, the one-time Blues academy schoolboy, who is currently on loan at Stoke City.
The deal looks set to be confirmed today after the Potters loan is cut short with the Blues believed to be paying a fee of around £1 million for the 21-year-old.
Clarke left the Blues for the Gunners youth set-up in August 2015 having previously been the scorer of the U14s’ Barcelona-esque goal which went viral.
Born in Ipswich, Clarke was with Brantham Athletic prior to joining Town’s academy. At the time he was a forward but now operates as either a centre-half or right-back.
In 2020 he joined Oldham Athletic on loan for the campaign, then spent the first half of the following season in Scotland with Ross County before subsequently joining Hibs in January.
This summer he moved to Stoke in the Championship where he has made 10 starts and 10 sub appearances, scoring twice.
Clarke, the younger brother of striker George Clarke who was with the Town academy during 2013/14, appears to be viewed as someone who can vie with Janoi Donacien for his role on the right-side of the defence.
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