SERENI ON VERGE OF IPSWICH MOVE

Sereni ends an eight-year association with Sampdoria and although the Genoa based club are currently languishing in Italy's Serie B, the 26-year-old has made 74 Serie A appearances; mainly during loan spells with Piacenza and Empoli.

No contract details have been revealed but a mooted four-year deal is expected to be completed before this weekend's Premiership kick off.

Sereni will compete with Andy Marshall, signed on a free transfer from Norwich City during the summer, for the regular goalkeeper's position at Portman Road, a post vacated by new Arsenal keeper Richard Wright.

Ipswich manager George Burley refused to confirm that the custodian would be arriving at the club imminently.

"I can't confirm these reports. I am not going to say one way or another who we are looking at," Burley told the EADT.

"We won't say anything about a player until he has agreed to sign. We have looked at a lot of players and we are working hard to bring someone else in.

"We looked at a number of different players in different countries. I am not getting involved in the speculation which is all these reports are at the moment.

"We have talked about signing players and other clubs have stepped in, so we won't be saying anything at the moment."

Meanwhile, Sampdoria are likely to replace Sereni with Udinese's Morgan de Sanctis.