Portmore United midfielder, Rudolph Austin, has agreed to a £1-million transfer fee with English Premier League outfit Stoke City.

The Reggae Boy, who turned 23 in June, has been hotly sought by American and Brazilian clubs and is now awaiting a work permit. Should this materialise, he will team up with fellow Jamaican teammates Ricardo Fuller and Demar Phillips at the Midlands.

"There is an agreement and we are just waiting anxiously for the work permit," said Portmore United director, Howard McIntosh, yesterday. "We are happy with the developments and we hope this is the start of a long and lasting relationship with Stoke. It is consistent with our strategy to try and expose top talents at our club and, by extension, in the country," he added.

Austin's acquisition by Stoke is the club's ninth overseas signing. The others are Claude Davis and Omar Daley (England); Jason Morrison (Hungary), Demar Stewart (China), Rafe Wolfe (Belgium); Roen Nelson, Woolery Wolfe, Anthony Bennett and Newton Sterling (Trinidad and Tobago).

Confirmed deal

News of Austin's confirmed deal was brokered yesterday on a BBC website, which had the headline 'Stoke agree fee to recruit Austin'.

The report further stated: "Stoke City have agreed a fee of just over £1m with Jamaican side Portmore United for midfielder Rudolph Austin."

It also quoted Stoke City's chief executive, Tony Scholes, saying: "It wasn't a straight-forward negotiation with Portmore because we had some competition. We've done the deal to sign him. We now need to get the work permit."

A player who is capable of using both feet, he is used to playing in either midfield or defence, having done so for his club and country.

His reputation as an outstanding talent was enhanced during Jamaica's training camp in Brazil earlier this year. Back then, a number of Brazilian clubs expressed interest in him and news quickly spread of his talent, eventually reaching North America and Europe.

Austin is a past student of Clarendon College and has been representing Portmore United for the last four seasons.

Stoke, in the meantime gained promotion to the EPL after finishing second in England's second-tier competition, the League Championship. In a bid to remain in the Premiership this season, they are reported to have made a number of acquisitions, including Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson. Austin is the latest.