Sunderland boss Steve Bruce says he’s not sure whether Grant Leadbitter and Carlos Edwards will complete their switch to the Blues before the transfer window closes on Tuesday. Elsewhere, Town are linked with a number of other players in Sunday’s tabloids.

Bruce said after the Black Cats’ 1-0 defeat to Stoke that the moves are in the balance: "Whether anything will happen before Tuesday we are not quite sure."

The clubs have agreed a fee for the pair and both players were in talks regarding personal terms at Portman Road on Thursday.

Wages are the sticking point with the duo likely to have to take significant drops in pay to move to the Championship and would almost certainly want Sunderland to settle the remaining time on their deals at the Stadium of Light. Edwards is contracted until June 2010 and Leadbitter until 2011.

If no permanent deal is done, the clubs could arrange loans, either before Tuesday or when the emergency loan window opens the following week. Edwards is due to join up with the Trinidad and Tobago squad in San Pedro Sula, Honduras early this week ahead of their World Cup qualifier with the Central Americans next Saturday.

Elsewhere, Town boss Roy Keane is said to be chasing Celtic central defender Darren O’Dea. The 22-year-old was previously linked with the Blues in October last year by the Scottish press when the club dismissed the reports.

Keane targeted another Celtic central defender earlier in the week, skipper Stephen McManus, who decided against making the move south after the clubs had agreed a loan deal.

O’Dea is reported to have been on Keane’s radar all summer and the Blues boss is said to be ready to pay �£1 million for his services before Tuesday.

The 6ft 1in tall defender has made only one start and two sub appearances for Tony Mowbray’s side this season. Overall, he has started just 31 matches since making his Bhoys debut in 2006, in addition to 14 sub appearances. He has scored five goals.

Formerly the skipper of the Irish U21s and U19s, the Dubliner came through the ranks at Celtic having played youth football at the famous Home Park club alongside Owen Garvan, Shane Supple and Michael Synnott and where Garvan's father is a coach.

Last season, left-sided O'Dea was a team-mate of skipper Alex Bruce in an Irish fringe side which played Nottingham Forest, with Garvan also involved in the game.

The defender is currently contracted to Celtic until 2010 with an option of a further year.

Town are also said to be after veteran Birmingham midfielder Lee Carsley, although the 35-year-old is believed to be unwilling to uproot his family from the Midlands. In any case the former Derby, Blackburn, Coventry and Everton man was in the Birmingham side which lost to Spurs yesterday and appears to be in Alex McLeish’s plans.

Photo: Action Images

MarkITFC added 15:19 - Aug 31 when are these gunna happen ?? we only got to days left
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Suffolk_n_Good added 15:23 - Aug 31 Dont hold your breath folks! I'll believe it when I see it......
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FootballsMyLife added 15:29 - Aug 31 We need more than 4 players surely. Look at our team at the moment, get rid of the wasters e.g Stead, he was shocking at the weekend, no effort at all. It needs to be sorted. BRING BACK GIO!
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UEFA81 added 15:46 - Aug 31 Keane is all mouth - no action.
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itfcserbia added 15:49 - Aug 31 how Albrechtsen from Derby? he's on free now... Davis also, but he's not that good...
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itfcserbia added 15:52 - Aug 31 or maybe he is... i don't know :)
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FootballsMyLife added 16:14 - Aug 31 We need players with passion like Bruce etc. I have never been a fan of counago, but at the moment i am liking him alot. At least he puts in 100% affort and you cant fault that.
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ItfcLoyal added 16:27 - Aug 31 Nothings happening !
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ItfcLoyal added 17:03 - Aug 31 Nothings happening !
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bigfish added 17:07 - Aug 31 Have ITFC got the time of year wrong ? we normally get all this hot air when they want us to renew our season tickets
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ordinarybloke added 17:21 - Aug 31 Sky sports report that Celtic centre back O'dea will not be signing for Ipswich Town on loan - but possibly will be joining another championship club on loan before transfer deadline tomorrow ... If Ipswich cannot attract and secure services of a reserve team player - what can we look forward to tomorrow ...??
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danknott added 17:32 - Aug 31 Marcus Stewart, Jamie Clapham, Martijn Reuser, Findi George.......theirs are 4 signings!!!! woop woop
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burnbudgiesburn added 18:20 - Aug 31 'If Ipswich cannot attract and secure services of a reserve team player - what can we look forward to tomorrow ...?? ' Well, we are not helped in attracting players due to our position in the league at the moment. If we were sat in the top 6 it would be easier.
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Bergholtblue added 18:32 - Aug 31 It's not Keanes fault. Nobody wants to leave their premiership wages to come to a club struggling at the foot of the Championship table. This is what is wrong with football today. Players would rather warm a premiership bench than ply week in week out for a Championship side.
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bedsitfc added 19:50 - Aug 31 looks like this season wont be a promotion winning season for us
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tractorboybig added 19:53 - Aug 31 Not keens fault? why would anybody take a drop in wages to please the supporters of Ipswich Town? a club that will sell any player if the price is right? donot worry about a replacement it makes goos business sense, even if it puts you in div 1 with norwich and leeds. I wonder what evans is all about,ambition and the premier league do not seem the priority.Still the blind will follow with absolute faith,just keep pouring over them trenches without question.

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tommo added 19:54 - Aug 31 Why has there been no news on the transfer front today for Ipswich. This is very worrying. We need to sign players tomorrow or we could be in for a tricky season.
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*REMOVED* added 20:00 - Aug 31 Bergholt, I find that this philosophy has been Ipswich's problem for a long time now. It is not only fringe Premier League players that can build a winning Championship side. Ipswich is looking for players that can "guarantee" winning, but nothing in life is guaranteed. In exchange for searching for that :guarantee", we have to a) make bids in an amount that Premier League teams don't use as toilet tissue and b) convince Billy Fancypants that actually kicking a ball on a pitch is a better way to securing his future than collecting a nice check and getting splinters in his ass from sitting on a bench. I'd rather Ipswich go the other way and look for young, up and comers from League 1 and 2. Then, the result should be 1) the chairmen of those squads will look kindly on the amount of money being offered by Ipswich and 2) the player might actually consider playing for Ipswich as an honor (or at least a great step in his overall development) and would likely be paid more here. If Ipswich were able to secure one or two of this type of player every year, the squad would (most likely) have improved every single year. But no, we waste our time on trying to convince John Moneybags that out 350K offer would be something that he should jump at, and convince Billy Fancypants to get off his ass. When they predictably say no, other clubs have snapped up the up and comers, so we are left with the likes of Lisbie, et al. It happens every year, I write about it every year, and whether Sheeps or ME/Clegg are in control, it never ever changes.

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tommyblue added 20:02 - Aug 31 patience....keane will get it right
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tommyblue added 20:05 - Aug 31 jermaine beckford? simeon jackson of gillingham? sean st ledger?
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*REMOVED* added 20:08 - Aug 31 Question: what was the last player Ipswich obtained on a transfer (not on loan) that could have been considered our "Number One" choice? (i.e. not a compromise player like Lisbie, but someone who we said, "this is the guy we want.")
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keanostackle added 20:24 - Aug 31 I hate to say it but sure many ITFC fans are thinking this, that by tomorrow at 5pm we have no new signings in....As much as I would love to see 3 or 4 signings. Fingers crossed for tomorrow !!!
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bedsitfc added 20:31 - Aug 31 well said scott candage
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*REMOVED* added 20:36 - Aug 31 Keano, I'm not worried that we will have no new signings in. I'm certain that Roy will sign someone. However, what I'm worried about is that his #1 targets will be unobtainable (won't pay requested fee/wages) and we end up signing the next Kevin Lisbie just as filler. Those signings get us nowhere. Just once, I would like to see Ipswich sign a player on July 1, saying, "we targeted this player months ago, we worked with the other club, and the lad was thrilled to sign here, and wanted to do so straightaway." Just freakin once.

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itfcserbia added 20:56 - Aug 31 scott, either that way or marcus evans shows some real ambition and put some serious money in, cause, lets face it, today 12m is not some special sum. i mean, what's the point, he'll get 60 freakin mills when we get into prem. he can't be on loss or am i that stupid?
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