Scotland man lined up for eight-figure move with medical booked as ex-Rangers target gets set to join him

Hirst, 27, was part of Steve Clarke’s squad at the World Cup in North America this summer after featuring in Ipswich Town’s promotion back to the English Premier League, but did not feature at the tournament, remaining on the bench for all three Group C games against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil.

Called up to the national team squad for the Nations League playoff clash with Greece in May 2025, Hirst opted to switch allegiance to Scotland after qualifying via his grandfather. He had previously represented England at various youth levels. Hirst has since earned 10 caps, scoring his only goal in a 4-0 friendly win against Liechtenstein last summer.

Sign up to The Scotsman’s daily football newsletter to get unrivalled Scottish football news and analysis - subscribe for free here.

Contracted until the summer of 2029, Hirst scored 11 times for Ipswich last season as they finished runners-up to Coventry City in the English second tier. However, with the East Anglian side undergoing an ambitious squad overhaul under new head coach Gary O’Neil, he has become surplus to requirements ahead of their season opener against Sunderland this weekend.

With Hirst not expected to play a prominent role for the Tractor Boys in the upcoming campaign, Stoke boss Mark Robins has moved to secure the signing, and he is set to undergo a medical today after the two clubs agreed a fee on Tuesday. According to a report from The Athletic, the Potters will pay an initial fee of £6million, with add-ons making the overall package worth up to £10million. The Scotland forward will pen a four-year contract with the club should he pass his medical without any hitches.

Should Hirst’s move be rubber-stamped in the coming days, it means all but one of Scotland’s strikers who went to this summer’s World Cup have moved clubs since the tournament ended, with Lawrence Shankland joining Rangers from Hearts, Lyndon Dykes moving to Millwall from Charlton Athletic and Ross Stewart linking up with Swansea City after his contract expired at Southampton. It means only Torino’s Che Adams is still with the same club.

Hirst is expected to be joined at the bet365 Stadium by former Rangers transfer target Ben Johnson, who is close to completing his own move from Ipswich Town on a season-long loan deal. The 26-year-old had talks with the Ibrox club over a move from West Ham United in the summer of 2024, though reports indicated that a deal broke down over salary demands.

The former Hammer then opted to move to Portman Road instead, where he has played 47 times over the last two seasons. However, having struggled for first-team football during Ipswich’s promotion from the EFL Championship last season, the defender has now decided to join Hirst at Stoke, with a deal on the verge of completion.