Town are closing in on the signing of former Morecambe left-back Greg Leigh.

We understand the 27-year-old Jamaica international is at the club with the deal set to be confirmed later today.

Leigh left the Shrimps at the end of 2021/22 having spent one year at the Mazuma Stadium, making 38 starts and three sub appearances, scoring twice.

Sale-born Leigh, who can also operate on the right and in wide midfield, came through the youth ranks at Manchester City and spent a spell on loan at Crewe during his time as a Citizen.

Having been unable to break into the first team at City, Leigh moved on to Bradford on a free transfer in the summer of 2015. After featuring infrequently, the 5ft 11in tall full-back joined Bury the following summer.

Capped six times by England at U19 level before later changing his allegiance to Jamaica with whom he has won two full caps, Leigh spent two years with the Shakers before moving to Dutch side NAC Breda in June 2018.

A year later he joined Aberdeen on loan for the 2019/20 season, then made that switch permanent the following summer after coming close to joining Rotherham. Having suffered a serious hamstring injury, he was released at the end of 2020/21 when he signed for Morecambe.

Leigh will become Town’s third signing of the summer following the recruitment of Freddie Ladapo and Dom Ball, also on free transfers.

That the Blues are adding to their left-back/left wing-back options this summer is little surprise and Leigh may not be the only addition before the campaign gets under way.

The first-team squad is back at Playford Road today for the start of pre-season training.

Photo: Action Images

superblues9 added 11:24 - Jun 20 Hardly sets the pulses racing !
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boroughblue added 11:31 - Jun 20 Always love how it's ‘trust KMc and Mark Ashton' and all that, and now we have people writing this lad off before he's signed because of where he's coming from. Our best player last season came from a club who finished 16th ffs! Give the lad a fekin chance. Welcome Greg, there's a lovely LWB slot to be filled in this team, go and make it yours son!
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MancBlue86 added 11:31 - Jun 20 SuperBlues9: Trust in Mckenna, he seems to be good at utilising and improving players, Morsy getting goals, Jackson going from dead and buried to playing well and a new contract. Edmundson didn't set pulses racing, nor Walton and look how important they are now.
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wewerefamous added 11:32 - Jun 20 Slightly underwhelmed but he'll get our full support. COYB
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martin587 added 11:35 - Jun 20 It's a position we need cover for and I fully trust the Boss in whoever he signs.
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runningout added 11:40 - Jun 20 his dad's writing posts on here already. Hope he does well obviously!!
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leftie1972 added 11:41 - Jun 20 Welcome Greg, go out and prove the doubters wrong!
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MickMillsTash added 11:45 - Jun 20 He played in our away game at left back and I seem to think Burns did well against him in the first half - but Morecambe were very open. Must be better than the injury/miss/ occasional hit form of KVY. I guess this means Thompson is not coming back. I trust McKenna and Co on this
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Ipswichbusiness added 11:55 - Jun 20 I have never seen him play, but it's odd that we seem to be only signing “free” transfers. Given the large attendances in the second half of last season I would have thought that we could afford to pay fees.
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dezb added 12:02 - Jun 20 Ipswichbusiness - Or the fact the transfer window has only been open a matter of days and deals with released players are likely far easier to complete! I'm sure the club will pay a fee for players it wants to bring in! EADT article says we continue to look at this position as well. Seems shrewd business. Morecambe fans seemed disappointed he wasn't staying
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iaintaylorx added 12:04 - Jun 20 People need to remember, you can find good footballers in leagues and positions lower than you. From what I've read, he seems a powerful, quick full back who's at their prime age! Whoever McKenna likes, I like too. People were buzzing with the idea of Dominic Thompson and no disrespect, but he hardly set the ‘pulses racing', superblues9!
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blues1 added 12:04 - Jun 20 Ipswichbusiness. We can afford to pay fees. But u don't pay transfer fees for free agents. We will however be paying a signing on fee to the player. Which is likely to be similar to what a transfer fee would be anyway. When will some of our fans get it, that no transfer is free . Also have to remember tgag any player demanding a fee will likely be demanding higher wages. Which we cant pay with the wage budget limit in lge1. Why do we have to have the same comments every time we sign a free agent?

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blues1 added 12:09 - Jun 20 Well said Boroughblue. Dont people remember Tyrone mings, who cost us £10,000. We're fans writing him off from the moment he signed. That's to name but one player who cost little or nothing( fransfer feewise), who turned out good. Whereas we paid £4.5m for sereni, £3m for finidi George, and they were both crap. Let's just wait and see what he plays like before writing him off shall we?

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pragmatic added 12:10 - Jun 20 Apologies “Borough Blue” should have marked up, totally agree with your comment, let the season start before making judgements, For me & majority of fans McKenna is the man to coach this squad to a fantastic season & real achievement!!! COYB!!!
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Chrisd added 12:10 - Jun 20 A decent footballing background, has recent experience of playing in L1 and playing a good amount of games. Sometimes these type of signings without the hype or expectation can prove the best ones. Hope he proves that diamond in the rough.
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Woodbridgian added 12:18 - Jun 20 I'm sure the people on here “underwhelmed” probably said the same thing when we signed Cresswell and Mings as LB's
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dirtydingusmagee added 12:22 - Jun 20 ''Leigh may not be the only signing before campaign gets under way'' i certainly hope not, we need someone who score goals, anyway Leigh has some creditable cv, although has moved about a lot, good luck to him .
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d77sgw added 12:23 - Jun 20 Slightly different - Cresswell was v highly rated and we paid a decent fee for him. Mings was just starting out this career - and again we paid a fee. Leigh seems to have hardly set the world on fire at a number of clubs.
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wewerefamous added 12:26 - Jun 20 Woodbridgian… I assume you are making reference to my point. I didn't slate the lad and will support him like any other player, just my opinion. As stated by other posters, there have been lots of good buys from lower leagues and I have faith in our new management team that they are better placed than us to make decisions on player recruitment.
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Churchman added 12:30 - Jun 20 I agree with Boroughblue on this. He's a good age, hopefully KM sees something in him, otherwise why sign him. Let's give him a chance and see. As for ‘big signings', we had our fill of that last year and it got us nowhere. Fortunately half of the signings are actually decent players and the basis of a team build, which it feels like KM is trying to do. Take the three new lads, add a couple from the ressies/yoofs and I reckon we are a goalscorer away from a decent team. If money is going to be spent, spend it on that.

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Ipswichbusiness added 12:32 - Jun 20 Blues1 I am well aware that so-called free transfers are not free which is why I put the word free in inverted commas.
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Mariner1974 added 12:32 - Jun 20 Should have a had a decent grounding at Man City academy, and looks as if he's more balanced as a wing-back rather than Dominic Thompson who was very much a left back, who could defend well, but struggled to have the confidence to put a cross in. Penney always bettered him in that department. Be great if we can get a Wing-Back on the Left to match Burns' endeavours on the right & provide the balance of a dual threat from each flank, and keep the opposition guessing as to where the attacking impetus will come from. Love KVY, and imagine we'll keep working to bring his defending up to the level of his attacking.

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SouperJim added 12:34 - Jun 20 While I don't agree with the pessimists who only look at who a player has previously played for, comparisons with Mings and Cresswell are a little unfair. Those two were young players clearly on their way up the pyramid. This guy has been around a bit and moved sideways a lot. Clearly has some ability and I trust the judgement inside the club, but hardly a marquee signing either. Let's hope he can quickly earn his place.

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DashluvsITFC added 12:36 - Jun 20 Let's give this lad a chance at least if he signs!! We need good competition on the left hand side. He is a good age, height with varied experience in League 1 and elsewhere.. The future is looking brighter with early signings so far and in Mckenna + Ashton we must trust..COYBs 👍😊
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Jugsy added 12:46 - Jun 20 Looked at his average performance stats and he was one of their better players last year. A lot of valid points in the posts above, a free transfer doesn't mean a bad transfer and tbh, spending money on players has worked far less well for us in the past. The kid started at Man City, so it's not as if he doesn't know his way around! SouperJim - as you say, Cresswell was definitely on his way up already but Mings never was. A true rags to riches story.

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