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.

Photo: Action Images

Harry_Palmer added 09:56 - Jul 24 Let the flouncing begin!
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16_Jack_ken_16 added 09:57 - Jul 24 Hmmmm very cheap cant realy go wrong for that amount
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IvorTheEngine added 09:58 - Jul 24 no chopra then ??????????????????????????????????
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robdaful added 10:00 - Jul 24 not such an exciting signing that I thought would come. But its a signing and a player to help out in defece. Lets hope if this deal completes then its the first of many.
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Vic added 10:01 - Jul 24 16 Jack Ken - £75K - I agree, but still people moaned at Healy for the same amount last years so i'm not hoilding my breath!
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SouperJim added 10:03 - Jul 24 Experienced and much needed cover at full back for a very small fee, good bit of business by Roy. Also he's not Irish and isn't coming from Sunderland, but I'm sure that won't stop the flouncers.
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Kieran_Knows added 10:04 - Jul 24 Well, he's certainly go the expireance Mr Keane has been craving for. Like most people have said, not a exciting signing, but a decent buy, good left foot, lots of expireance, and for 75k, you can't go wrong. Welcome Mark Kennedy, all the best! :)
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Fixed_It added 10:05 - Jul 24 Actually, he IS Irish. But that is purely a coincidence... ;-)
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SouperJim added 10:06 - Jul 24 Doh, guess I missed the "international team-mate" bit, lol. In which case this journeyman no hoper is clearly just one of Roy's old drinking buddies and we should slag him off from the get-go.
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robdaful added 10:06 - Jul 24 SouperJim - He is Irish and he played with Keane.
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Kieran_Knows added 10:07 - Jul 24 Couldn't care less if he was irish, if he want to play for Town, and his performances show that, then who cares, good signing Keano.
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itfc1981 added 10:18 - Jul 24 a good deal at last Keaneo!
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zoeitfc added 10:24 - Jul 24 kean was on the phone for a while yesterday at that cricket game,could it be a singh of somethin,then after the call he seemed much happier
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jas0999 added 10:28 - Jul 24 Seems like a sensible signing. Agree it's not a 'wow' signing, but Kennedy is actually a decent player. Experienced too. Just what we need.
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Mark added 10:37 - Jul 24 Kennedy is an experienced player and it means we don't have to rely on young O'Connor at left-back, although I'm sure O'Connor will get plenty of chances to fight for the place especially when the fixtures come thick and fast. Kennedy hasn't commanded a transfer fee since 2001 and it's a shame we need to pay for him at the age of 34, but it's only 75K and hopefully will turn out to be good value. We will put him on a one year contract surely? Yes he is Irish and yes Keane knows him personally, as with most signings coming to Town. I don't think that is a problem this time, but I would like to see some players that Keane doesn't know coming in (especially a young striker or two from League One!).

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hucks216 added 10:38 - Jul 24 Not the most exciting of signings but a steady, experienced player can make a big difference in defence (except Thatcher obviously!) - we didn't do too bad when we had Mowbray & Venus plying their trade for us after all. With regards to Chopra, I doubt we will see him at Town. His wages are simply too high. We may well be able to afford the wages after shipping players out but signing a player on much higher wages than the wage cap & what the rest of the team are on can (and probably will) cause dis-harmony in the dressing room.

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PimsNumber1 added 10:39 - Jul 24 Its as though Roy recons anyone except irishmen can kick a ball. This bloke is experienced but thats it. He is OLD , 34 , for a footballer , well past his sell by date and Cardiff have got a crafty 75k for him. He just recently was offered a 1 year contract which i think he signed. Ipswich were after him last season so i think Cardiff saw us coming. Anyway he will be ok but no great aquisition. As for Healy costing only 75k , yes, but why waste 75k and a load of wages if he isnt good enough. Thats not a cheap punt , its a total waste. I hope this guy is better but Cardiff fans think he has been in decline for a while.

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PimsNumber1 added 10:40 - Jul 24 He cant be that good as he hasnt made the Irelend team for 8 years !
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Wickets added 10:44 - Jul 24 How do you sign someone you dont know Just imagine the comments "Keano signed this no hoper did not know him never seen him just to do so n so a favour". Whats that saying you can please some of the fans all of the time you can please all of the fans some of the time but you cant please all of the fans all of the time!!
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naaridge1coly7 added 10:48 - Jul 24 yet another rubbish last minute signing cos he cant attract anyone else. What an embarrasment. What a joke,do me get a free irish ex sunderland keeper with him also????
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tom_the_blue added 10:50 - Jul 24 a good, old fashioned last minute signing, 37 days before the window closes, eh? Prat.
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Mark added 10:56 - Jul 24 > How do you sign someone you dont know I meant someone Keane hasn't worked with in the past, someone such as Swindon's 21-year-old striker Charlie Austin who scored 20 goals in League One last season. Of course players should be scouted over a period of time and seen in action by our manager, and we should be as sure as possible they bring the attributes we want. However, limiting ourselves to players Keane knows means we are fishing in a small pool and it isn't a guarantee of success (Carlos Edwards being the grandest example).

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corshamblue added 11:01 - Jul 24 Tidy Business, think about it people. I'm sure he'll be on an average wage and will provide stability in a questionable, unsettled, struggling back 4 as well as providing good set piece options and isn't shy in going forward. Bundles of experience and a bargain at 75k - Happy Days.
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Bobby_Petta added 11:01 - Jul 24 What a Joke! might as well give a young player a chance, no pace, passed it.
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Wickets added 11:09 - Jul 24 Calm down Mark LOL SEE THE FUNNY SIDE. Was Kennedy part on the drinking culture under Joe Royle at maine road? !!!!!
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