In one of the surprise transfer deals of the summer, Birmingham City goalkeeper looks set to get one last crack at the Premier League in his career.
Ruddy won the Championship title with Wolves in 2018 but after that became a backup to the likes of Rui Patricio and Jose Sa in the Premier League, but Birmingham City handed him a lifeline last summer.
He was signed by John Eustace to provide competition to Neil Etheridge in-between the sticks at St Andrew’s, but Ruddy was immediately installed as the first-choice option ahead of the Phillippines international and played every single minute of all Championship matches until a thigh injury in April against Millwall prematurely ended the 36-year-old’s campaign.
Keeping 14 clean sheets across the 2022-23 Championship season, Ruddy enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance, and that has seemingly not gone unnoticed.
Who is John Ruddy set to sign for
As revealed by Alan Nixon on Sunday, Premier League newboys Luton Town were plotting a move for Ruddy to add to their goalkeeping options ahead of the 2023-24 season, with head coach Rob Edwards knowing the experienced goalie from his time coaching at Wolves a few years ago.
The Hatters have already added Thomas Kaminski from Blackburn Rovers but are also seeking a second addition in-between the sticks and they are severely lacking in that particular area of the pitch.
And Ruddy has been identified as a significant target for Town as they look to bring in competition for the Belgian, and now it looks as though a deal has been agreed for his services.
How much will Luton Town pay Birmingham City for John Ruddy
According to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail in his Transfer Confidential column, both Luton and Birmingham have agreed a deal to see Ruddy get one last chance in the Premier League.
And even though he is 36 years of age now and potentially coming to the end of his career, Ruddy is still set to command a significant six-figure fee, with Luton set to pay £750,000 with their new-found Premier League riches.
Ruddy though may not be on the move just yet though as Birmingham need to get their own affairs in order before fully signing off on the sale.
Birmingham want to add a new goalkeeper to their ranks as a replacement for Ruddy, and until that happens it looks as though a deal will not happen despite a fee being agreed.
City were keen on bringing Matija Sarkic back from Wolverhampton Wanderers following a successful loan spell with the club in the 2021-22 season, but the Montenegro international decided to sign for their Championship rivals Millwall instead in a £1.2 million deal last week.
The Blues will now have to move on to other options but despite a deal being in the works, they still started Ruddy in their 1-1 draw with Swansea City this past weekend – work will surely now be underway though to find his successor.
