Walsall to sign midfielder O'Keefe
Walsall will swoop for ex-Blackburn midfielder Josh O'Keefe as boss Chris Hutchings continues his recruitment drive.
Hot on the heels of Steve Jones and Mark Hughes' arrival, the 20-year-old is set to sign for the Saddlers after his release from Premier League Rovers.
O'Keefe has been in talks and should pen a deal ahead of the start of the pre-season fixture list at Rotherham on Saturday.
The youngster rose through the ranks at Ewood Park and impressed in the reserves, which prompted the club to offer him a one-year deal last summer.
He made 12 appearances for the Rovers reserve team last season, scoring once, but failed to make the breakthrough under former boss Paul Ince and current chief Sam Allardyce.
O'Keefe spent the final two months of the season on trial at Hutchings' former club Derby County but Rams manager Nigel Clough decided against offering him a deal, instead suggesting he would benefit from a spell in League One.
He will now compete with Mark Bradley, Richard Taundry and Dwayne Mattis for a spot in the Saddlers' midfield.
It will be the third new face in under a week as Hutchings moulds his squad, which dipped to just 16 players after the departures of Sofiene Zaaboub and Chris Palmer last week.
More signings are expected with former Birmingham winger Peter Till on trial although former Swansea defender Dennis Lawrence - who was training with the squad - has left and is pursuing other options.
Goalkeeper Clayton Ince has also returned to training, after his extended break following Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup qualifiers.
He is expected to finally sign his new deal this week.
