Former Larne defender on verge of loan move from Premier League club to League One

The 22-year-old departed Inver Park last summer – one year after arriving from Ballymena United – for Palace and was named on the Eagles bench for three Premier League games in October by boss Patrick Vieira.

Balmer starred for their U21 side during the 2022/23 campaign, playing 22 times as they finished fourth behind Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea in Premier League Two and was named as captain for the final league fixture against the Reds.

The Northern Ireland youth international also helped Palace reach the Premier League International Cup final, beating Liverpool and Valencia before losing out to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.

He was included in the senior Northern Ireland team for UEFA Nations League fixtures against Greece and Kosovo in September and it now looks like Balmer will continue his development with Port Vale after also being linked with a season-long loan to Motherwell.

Balmer will be welcomed by a familiar face as former Northern Ireland U21 boss and assistant manager Andy Crosby is currently in charge at Vale Park.

Aaron Donnelly spent the second-half of last season on-loan at Port Vale from Nottingham Forest while former Derry City forward Rory Holden departed the club for Welsh champions The New Saints earlier this summer.