Charlton Athletic have agreed terms to sign Ipswich Town right-back Harry Clarke on loan for the remainder of the season, sources have confirmed to Football Insider.
The 24-year-old, a former Arsenal academy product, has struggled for game time at Portman Road over the past 18 months and has not featured in the Championship this season.
His last appearance for Ipswich came in last year’s FA Cup third round, a 3-0 win over Bristol Rovers.
Clarke was absent from Ipswich’s 2-1 FA Cup victory against Blackpool this weekend, with manager Kieran McKenna confirming that the defender is in talks over a potential loan move.
Speaking about Clarke’s situation, McKenna said:
“Yeah, there’s a chance. We’ll see how it goes over the weekend but he’s in talks with a club at the moment so there’s a chance that he might go on loan second half of the season.”
Clarke spent the second half of last season on loan at Sheffield United, making six appearances as Chris Wilder’s side reached the Championship play-off final.
An injury curtailed his time in South Yorkshire, and he did not feature in key matches against Bristol City or Sunderland. Prior to that, Clarke helped Ipswich secure back-to-back promotions to the Premier League and also had loan spells at Hibernian and Stoke City while under contract with Arsenal.
Charlton, who have slipped down the Championship table after a promising start to the season, are looking to strengthen defensively amid injuries.
Nathan Jones’ side hope Clarke can provide immediate reinforcement at right-back as they battle to secure survival in their first year back in the division following promotion in 2025.
Meanwhile, Ipswich continue to push for automatic promotion to the Premier League, and Clarke’s absence from first-team plans under McKenna has made a loan move inevitable.
Clarke is due to be out of contract this summer, although Ipswich hold the option to extend his deal by a year.
Clarke was a key part of the Ipswich side that gained promotion in 2024 but has fallen down the pecking order since. At just 24, he needs regular game time to revive his career, and Charlton can offer him that opportunity. In turn, Clarke can help the Addicks in their fight to stay in the Championship.
The deal has the potential to benefit all parties, and if he performs well, it could pave the way for a permanent solution in the summer.
