Huddersfield Town are ready to seal the deal for Coventry keeper Joe Murphy which will keep existing stopper Alex Smithies firmly on his toes.

The out-of-contract 32-year-old was with the Republic of Ireland for their clash with Italy at Fulham’s Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Murphy held productive talks with Town at PPG Canalside last week, and is due to give a final decision on a switch within the next few days.

Sources suggest the player has made it clear he will compete for a first-team place – and that’s just what Town wanted to hear.

The club parted company with Ian Bennett at the end of the season, and have only youngsters Lloyd Allinson and Ed Wilczynski as back-up.

Former England junior international Smithies has missed only one game in the last two seasons.

A couple of campaigns prior to that during which he suffered injury problems meant the academy product slipped off the radar.

But his heroics in the 2012 League I play-off final against Sheffield United at Wembley and subsequent performances at Championship level will have been noted elsewhere.

That means interest in a player who is contracted until 2016 wouldn’t come as a surprise.

League I Coventry are keen to keep Murphy, but accept it will be tough.

Manager Steven Pressley said: “It’s highly likely we will lose him.

“A Championship club can pay more wages than we can and obviously that will be a higher level for him.”

Dublin-born, twice-capped Murphy has also played for Tranmere, West Brom, Walsall, Sunderland and Scunthorpe.

Why Joe Murphy is the perfect candidate to place pressure on Alex Smithies - click here to read

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