Kilmarnock defender Corrie Ndaba looks destined to complete Lecce switch

Kilmarnock defender Corrie Ndaba looks set to seal a move to Serie A side Lecce.

The 25-year-old joined Killie on a three-year deal last summer after a spell on loan from Ipswich in the 2023-24 campaign and made 38 appearances last term.

Amid speculation that he was heading for Italy, Ndaba was not involved as the Ayrshire side sealed their place in the second round of the Premier Sports Cup with a 4-0 home win over East Fife.

And on Saturday evening, Lecce posted on X a picture of the Irish defender holding a club scarf, accompanied by a short statement indicating that he was poised to sign for them.

“The footballer Corrie Ndaba arrived in Bressanone in the late afternoon, where he began undergoing medical examinations that will be completed on Monday,” it read.

As Ndaba heads for the exit, Killie are welcoming the emergence of a new talent, Ben Brannan. The 18-year-old took his tally for the season to three when he scored a double from left-wing-back in the win over East Fife, adding to earlier strikes from summer signings Marcus Dackers and Djenairo Daniels.

“We speak about him kind of coming flat off that left-hand side onto his stronger right foot,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said in a club interview. “He’s been more accustomed, quite clearly, to playing on the right-hand side.

“But when you look at a young academy player and somebody that’s coming in for his first games for this football club, I don’t know that you can ask too much more.

“We think he can be a really promising player and a really promising talent for the football club. And what it does is it just continues to kind of pave the way that there’s opportunities here for a lot of other young players.”

Brannan went off injured in the closing stages but Kettlewell said: “We think it’s just a bit of spasm in his thigh.

“It was obviously uncomfortable at the time, but he was moving about far better when we went back into the dressing room, so fingers crossed he’s fit and available for next week and moving into the first league game.”