By Derek DavisA SECOND summer signing for Ipswich Town is expected to be completed on Monday.Jim Magilton is expecting to tie up a deal for the player, whose name is being kept secret so as not to alert other clubs, over the next 72 hours so he can be unveiled before Tuesday's friendly at Stevenage.

By Derek Davis

By Derek Davis

A SECOND summer signing for Ipswich Town is expected to be completed on Monday.

Jim Magilton is expecting to tie up a deal for the player, whose name is being kept secret so as not to alert other clubs, over the next 72 hours so he can be unveiled before Tuesday's friendly at Stevenage.

But Magilton ruled out the possibility that it will be Tommy Miller or Neil Kilkenny who have been persistently linked with a move to Ipswich.

Magilton told the EADT: “We are close to signing a new player. We are confident but you never know with these things until it is signed and sealed.

The Blues boss also revealed that he has offered Alan Lee a new improved contact in order to keep him at Portman Road after the club rejected a second bid from Hull City.

Free spending Tigers boss Phil Brown appears determined to land the Republic of Ireland international who impressed him immensely in Town's 5-2 win at the KC Stadium back in March and has an offer of around £600,000 for Lee.

That was knocked back and the Blues have shown their determination to try and keep the striker by looking to extend his remaining one-year contract and increase his money.

Magilton said: “It is going to take a lot more than £600,000 to get someone who has scored 17 goals for us last season. If Hull want him, let's see how much, but I'm not going to be able to replace someone like him easily.

“We need competition for places and Pablo will give us that but we also want to hang on to Alan and I'm determined to keep him.

“We have offered him a new deal and we will sit down again and discuss a new contract. At the moment he could go and talk to other clubs in January but he is not like that, although he wants security and we will offer him that.”

The arrival will follow hot on the heels of Pablo Counago who completed his free transfer from Malaga by signing a two year deal, which will extended by a third year if Town are promoted.

Blues chairman David Sheepshanks yesterday welcomed back the 27-year-old striker and said: “We are delighted with the return of our matador.”

derek.davis@eadt.co.uk