Southampton head coach Jan Poortvliet says Rudi Skácel is back with his club but will not be involved in any pre-season games. The Czech midfielder is expecting the 28-year-old to have left his club by the time the season starts.

Poortvliet said: "Rudi Skácel is back, but it's three weeks later than when we started. At first, he is going to train with our fitness coach and then we shall see.

"For the moment, he is involved maybe with a transfer to Ipswich - or not - and that's it. He is not playing as we don't know anything about his physical situation."

Skácel was at Playford Road last week for talks and to undergo a medical after the Blues and Southampton agreed a £1 million fee. The former Hearts and Marseille man subsequently went back home to Prague to assess whether to make the move.

Concerns regarding the likelihood of his international selection while playing outside of a top division are believed to be amongst the stumbling blocks and it may be that a move to a German Bundesliga club is the player's preferred choice.

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