Atalanta defender Ben Godfrey is reported to have completed his Town medical with the loan deal looking set to be confirmed within the next couple of days.

Italian reports earlier today indicated the switch was well down the line and it’s understood the 26-year-old was at Playford Road this afternoon.

According to Sky Sports, Godfrey has had his medical with all parties hoping to complete the move in the next 24-48 hours.

Godfrey, who plays at centre-half or right-back, joined Atalanta for £11 million in the summer but has made only one appearance in Serie A and a return to England had been expected with Tottenham, Leeds, Wolves and Nottingham Forest among the other clubs linked. Town are understood to be the only side to have made a concrete offer.

York-born Godfrey started his senior career with his hometown club, having spent time as a youth player at Middlesbrough, before moving on to Norwich City, with whom he won the Championship title in 2018/19 having spent time on loan at Shrewsbury.

In the summer of 2020 he moved on to Everton and during his spell at Goodison Park he won two full England caps, adding to appearances at U20 and U21 levels.

Town have always seemed likely to be in the market for a player in the mould of Godfrey in this transfer window to compete for Axel Tuanzebe’s right-sided defensive role.

An overseas loan doesn’t count towards the two player limit in the Premier League, which affects only domestic loans.

Photo: IMAGO/Steinsiek.ch via Reuters Connect

MalcolmBlue added 18:08 - Jan 4 Ben Godfrey is a blue, is a blue, Ben Godfrey is a blue, he hates Norwich
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ArnieM added 18:16 - Jan 4 Welcome to Town Ben, you're a BLUE now!
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Vancouver_Blue added 18:18 - Jan 4 Does this mean a loan spell away for Harry Clarke
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therein61 added 18:22 - Jan 4 Good news and we are not hanging about he will add much needed experience for right side of defence and also if required centre back position wish you well Ben.
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Dissboyitfc added 18:22 - Jan 4 i think so Vancouver. Welcome Ben.
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ImAbeliever added 18:23 - Jan 4 Nice, good signing/loan.
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MVBlue added 18:23 - Jan 4 This is going to be like last January when we got some good players and had to wait for the striker we needed, Keiffer Moore, to be confirmed at the end.
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runningout added 18:24 - Jan 4 Not here yet.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 18:28 - Jan 4 Quick work. We mean business.
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Bluedocker added 18:41 - Jan 4 Quality player
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gkroon89 added 18:54 - Jan 4 Good to see we could loan more in. Always happy to be wrong for the right reasons. Good he can cover both cb and rb.
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Leejames99 added 18:55 - Jan 4 Great signing and great Burns signed new contract which means he can be sold to Wrexham and Chaplin back to Portsmouth or make weight for Latte deal at Boro, Al Hamadi to Oxford and J Taylor (Loan) to Championship. Good return on players who have done great but not enough space in 25 man squad unfortunately. I'm getting marked down for saying tgat so just like with relegation what teams do you think will go down? I think Southampton, Leicester and Wolves with their striker now suspended, but Everton and Leicester may get points deducted still and secondly if not players I've said then who does go, it won't be new signings, Ogebenne and maybe Luongo will come off 25 man squad due to injury and Luongo on to coaching staff maybe but KMck wants up to 5 signings possibly so players have to go out and be sold. Harry Clarke and Woolfeden are homegrown so need keeping in squad, we have 2 under 22 in Delap and Hutchibson so looking at the squad to bring in 4 or 5 new signings 4 at least need to go so with all that in mind if you take Ogbene out for injury and Luongo that still leaves 3 and looking at squad Burns, Chaplin, Al Hamadi and possibly Taylor out in l9an l9ok most obvious to go, so if not them who is going in your opinions because I'm sorry to say some will be going on loan or sold. It's called football!

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ringwoodblue added 19:08 - Jan 4 I mostly agree LeeJames99 with the exception of Chappers who is a very good squad player and deserves some minutes in the PL. Harry Clarke on the other hand should go out on loan as he just isn’t good enough for the top flight and won’t get a look in once Godfrey arrives and Axel is fit again
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Kickingblock added 19:10 - Jan 4 Have you been drinking or are you getting excited young man?
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blues1 added 19:28 - Jan 4 Leejames99. There's no chance Taylor will be going anywhere. He's been excellent so far this season. As for woolfie/ H. Clarke Clarke simply isnt good enough. Would keep wooolfie too if we gonna play 3 at the back. As for the, we should keep them bcse tgeyre "our own". Sorry, that's irrelevant. We need to improve the quality of the squad. Can't keep players just bcse theyre one of our own.

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Leejames99 added 19:31 - Jan 4 I thought H Clarke too but I believe we have to have a couple of homegrown players in the squad, I could be wrong. Chaplin has done well of course but I think we would get good return for him and he only has year left on contract and won't realistically be a starter for town again and would walk into any team in Championship and If Wrexham could get Burns he would be great there to be part of their story tbf so would Chaplin. As I said if not them then who do people think will go we can't keep them all and there is no sentiment in football, players move on and new heroes arrive that's the game. Some fans just live in past, happy to slate Muric but God forbid mention Burns and Chaplin or Chappers as some fans think they know him personally. No need be rude on here, its just opini9n and debate 3 teams have to get relegated and to bring players in then players have to go and Mckenna already has said there will be outgoings, we know it won't be Broadhead or any new signings so who goes them in your opinions? Can't keep them all unfortunately. It's called progression and football is a business ad well as a sport!

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Leejames99 added 19:39 - Jan 4 @blues1 As I said before who does go in your opinion then? I don't think H Clarke been great but I think (I maybe wrong) that there has to be homegrown players in squad so isn't that Woolfeden and H Clarke? We isn't going to part with Morsy at the moment nor Phillips or Cajuste or Broadhead and may keep Taylor who I agree has done well and fits into Mck mould of young players who can grow so that even more cements the case for Burns 30 and Chaplin to go along with Al-Hamedi so if not Taylor we be overloaded in defence so that would be one of Clarke, Woolfeden or Burgess if Godfery coming in. As I said players have and will be sold or off on loan so who?

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Len_Brennan added 19:43 - Jan 4 The talk seems to be of Harry Clarke going out on loan, but I don't see why we wouldn't be looking to sell him. I know Godfrey is coming in a loan & Tuanzebe is out of contract in the summer, but the reality is that Clarke just isn't good enough for the PL, and even if we do go down, we'll be wanting someone better defensively, as a side expecting to push for another top 2 finish. If a reasonable offer comes in, we should take it

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ChingShady added 19:46 - Jan 4 The one's saying we should get rid of Chappers, Taylor, Burns etc... They still offer a valuable spot in the squad. I had my doubts for Chappers to be able to step up in the Prem and the times he has been in especially in his last 3 games he's been involved in, he's prob been one of our best players. He proved me wrong and I'm so glad he did. They are adjusting to the prem but I still believe they got it in them to hold a squad spot. Also if we do go down, these guys are good enough to smash the Champ and get us straight back up. Taylor has been given time to develop and you can see how much he has progressed in this last year. He even looks physically so much bigger than he did before as I can only assume that Kieran and his management told him he needed to bulk a bit, evidently it has worked because every time he has come on, he's been quality. Only one where I feel maybe a loan spell could do them well is Woolfy and H.Clarke, and that hurts me to say. But I don't think their town careers are over, they just need more football and something to fight for, a loan could do them well. Good start to the window!

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Kickingblock added 19:55 - Jan 4 Football is only entertainment for me. I did spit my dummy out after the Bournemouth game. Players departing and where they go is for the club to sort out. I hope the new signings and loans turn out to be aces and diamonds.
0

Broadbent23 added 19:58 - Jan 4 Because of our recent history, some of our players have a legendary status. Unfortunately the Prem is ruthless and we need to get stronger. Even if we only have six players from League One in the squad, we have to let KMc and MA change the players to give us the strongest squad for survival. Ben Godfrey will be a good asset but will lack match fitness so we will not see his best until late February. Believe in the process.

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Leejames99 added 20:00 - Jan 4 What's point of people marking down but not being able to forge an answer, thanks for decent replies. The whole point is players HAVE to be sold or loaned out its as simple as that in order to get new players in to stay in the Premiership or give us the best possible chance of bouncing straight back and if its not fan favourites Chaplin, Burns, H Clarke etc then who because it won't be Morsy, Broadhead or any new signings so it's inevitable that some go, and those 3 along with Hamadi are probably the most surplus to the squad, good return on Chaplin and Burns, Al Hamadi needs a loan and unless you forgot we have Humphries and others already on loan to return at end of season with Humphreys very much one for future. So I say again if you say on one hand you want new players in to stay 8n Prem then that means some go so who?

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Kickingblock added 20:09 - Jan 4 You'll have to wait and see
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Town_Jewells added 20:20 - Jan 4 Does Harry Clarke count as a homegrown player? He may have started out at Ipswich, but he joined Arsenal at 14 years old and didn't return (for a sizeable fee) until he was 21. So he didn't truly develop through the ITFC youth scheme.
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TractorfactorSteve added 20:22 - Jan 4 A lot of wordy experts. Glad I'm just a footy fan. Empty vessels make the most noise...
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