Ipswich are reportedly set for a loan move for Celtic and Ireland defender Darren O'Dea.
The Dublin born international is not set to be a first choice in manager Neil Lennon's defence this season, and he is looking to gain first-team football.
The 23-year-old has already played at Championship level after a spell at Reading last season, and is due in Suffolk on Monday to agree terms over a spell under form Hoops man Roy Keane at Portman Road.
O'Dea has fallen down the pecking order at Celtic Park, with Swedish defender Daniel Majstorovic set to arrive form AEK Athens, and Lennon has admitted he wanted to see the player take the opportunity to gain more experience.
"He doesn't want to be a squad player, he wants to play and I can't guarantee him that," said Lennon.
"Ipswich have made an enquiry to take him on loan so there is a possibility he will be down there on Monday.
"Ipswich have given him the opportunity to go and play and I think it will be good for him to get some games under his belt because we're bringing in other people allied to the ones we've got."
Reading manager Brendan Rodgers is delighted that Celtic and Ireland defender Darren O'Dea has joined on loan until January.
The 22-year-old has signed a new three-year deal with Celtic but has been sent out on loan to get first-team experience.
O'Dea turned down a number of clubs to join the Royals, who have shipped seven goals in just five Championship games.
"Darren is a very talented young player and I think he will do very well for us," Rodgers told the club's official website.
"I am delighted to bring in a player of his quality. I have known him since he was 14 and tracked his career since.
"He will be looking to get more games under his belt, but he also has good experience, including the Champions League. He's also been a captain at Celtic and that is a massive club."
O'Dea has captained the Ireland's Under-21 side on a number of occasions and Celtic manager Tony Mowbray told the youngster that he still has a future at Parkhead.
"He reassured me that it's just a case of getting experience now and coming back to play for Celtic," O'Dea said.
"I had a couple of clubs that I had to make a tough decision over but I felt that Reading was the right club to go to and somewhere I can improve as a player.
"I want to play as many games as I possibly can and do as well as I possibly can - and to win games."
Celtic and Ireland defender Darren O'Dea admits he may leave Celtic if he cannot maintain his first-team spot.
The 22-year-old, who scored Celtic's opener in Sunday's Co-operative Insurance Cup final win over Rangers, almost joined Burnley in January.
"I'd rather be playing somewhere else than not playing at all," he told BBC Radio Scotland.
"But in an ideal world I'd be at Celtic playing week in, week out and playing in the Champions League every year."
Normally a central defender, O'Dea has featured at left-back in recent matches and his performances have earned him a call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad.
"At the moment, I've managed to put a few games together and hopefully I can stay in the team," he added.
"If I was to play with Celtic week in, week out, I don't see any other club where I'd rather be.
"I've got the shirt and I'm lucky enough to have it so I'll be doing everything in my power to keep it and I'm not thinking about anything else but playing at the moment."
O'Dea insists his desire to pursue a proposed loan move to Turf Moor was purely motivated by the need to be playing regularly.
"At the time I was probably the most desperate man in the planet to get out of the club to be honest and it was literally just a footballing thing," said O'Dea. "I needed to play. Of course, I want to play international football, it's a massive thing but my club football needs to be right"
"But if I ever had a thought that I'd be playing games now with Celtic, there is nowhere else I'd rather be so as luck was, I stayed and I'm delighted I did now."
The signing of Glenn Loovens last summer further restricted O'Dea's first-team chances with captain Stephen McManus usually partnered in central defence by Gary Caldwell.
"I don't think you'll ever play for Celtic or a big team just because there's no-one else there," added O'Dea.
"There's always going to be top players ahead of you and behind you so it's a case of just me being good enough, rather than hoping someone else isn't good enough.
"You always have to expect players to be coming in and out at a club like Celtic."
Ireland take on Bulgaria in a World Cup qualifier at the end of March and Under-21 international O'Dea is eager to further establish himself at club level in order to work his way into Giovanni Trapattoni's side.
He said: "Of course, I want to play international football, it's a massive thing but my club football needs to be right.
"Just now, it's a lot better than it was a few weeks ago but I'm not taking anything for granted. I need to keep playing well and the international football will take care of itself.
"Our manager just now is a top manager so I can only learn from him."
Extra-time goals by Ireland internationals Darren O'Dea and Aiden McGeady gave Celtic a deserved Co-operative Insurance Cup final victory over rivals Rangers at Hampden Park this afternoon
After 90 tense but mediocre minutes had failed to produce a goal, the game moved in to extra-time and just a minute after the restart Dublin born O'Dea, who had not scored since Celtic beat Livingston in February 2007, leapt to head a Nakamura free-kick past Allan McGregor.
In the third minute of added time at the end, Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot was red-carded by referee Dougie McDonald for denying McGeady a clear goalscoring opportunity and the Ireland international winger scored from the spot.
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan had sprung a surprise by giving a first Old Firm start to Loovens, with Gary Caldwell moving forward into midfield and misfiring strikers Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Georgios Samaras being left on the bench.
It looked like it was going to be a midfield war of attrition, with Rangers playing just Kenny Miller up front as Kris Boyd was left on the bench as expected.
Even without their moody top scorer, it was Rangers who started the brighter and Sasa Papac got in behind the Celtic defence only to be ruled offside.
But Celtic settled and began to take control to put increasing pressure on a Rangers side denied the speedy presence of in-form Madjid Bougherra, who failed a fitness test.
It took extra-time however before the two Scottish rivals could be seperated and the Irish delivered an early St. Patrick's day present to Gordon Strachan and the ten of thousand of hoops fans in Hampden Park today.
