Crewe Alexandra manager David Artell has confirmed that Perry Ng is set to leave the Railwaymen, with the club close to accepting an offer from another club.

Artell told BBC Radio Stoke that he left the 24-year-old out of his squad to face Plymouth Argyle due to how close a move was, with Cardiff City having a bid rejected for the right-back last week.

"We're in final discussions with a club - we're very close to agreeing what we need to agree," said Artell.

"I spoke to Perry in the hotel last night and again this morning after he'd slept on what we had to say to him and between us.

"There was no pressure from me or the football club for him to play, and likewise there was no pressure from him saying he wanted to play or didn't want to play.

"It was fairly amicable and sensible all-round and we'll see what happens over the weekend."

The Daily Mail reported this week that Crewe didn't want to lose Ng - who is out of contract at the end of the season - this month but they have seemingly had a change of heart with a fee almost in that they can agree on.

Quiz: The top 16 Cardiff City record player departures – Which club did they join though?

Artell branded Cardiff's first offer for Ng as 'disgusting', and it remains to be seen whether or not the bid that is now close to landing the Crewe number two has come from the Bluebirds.

Neil Harris is seemingly now in for Aston Villa's French right-back Frederic Guilbert, and that could mean that Ng will move to another Championship club this month.

But there's also the possibility that Harris wants two new players for that position in the current window, with Arsenal loanee Jordi Osei-Tutu suffering a setback on his return from a hamstring injury.

The Verdict

If Cardiff are the team that are close to sealing the deal for Ng then it is a really smart pick-up.

And if they get Guilbert as well, then the Bluebirds have gone from having no right-back for the last three months to having potentially two coming in at once.

Is there a chance that one of Cardiff's league rivals could pip them at the last minute though? It's a possibility considering their pursuit went public last week, but they will be hoping they were already ahead enough in the race to tie the 24-year-old down to a contract.