Leyton Orient are close to sealing a deal to sign 6ft 4″ defender Omar Beckles from Crewe Alexandra, according to reports.

The former Accrington and Shrewsbury man is thought be ready to sign for Kenny Jackett’s side after deciding not to extend his stay at Gresty Road.

According to BBC Stoke’s Graham McGarry, the 29-year-old has declined a new deal in Cheshire and is set to move south and join up with the new manager at Brisbane Road.

Beckles made 41 appearances for Crewe last season, helping them to a mid-table finish following their promotion from League Two in 2019/20.

The big defender had a solid start to the campaign but drifted down the pecking order after a couple of shaky displays. The general consensus from Crewe fans is Beckles will be too good for League Two if he can play at the top of his game on a more consistent basis.

Beckles, who is from Leytonstone, is thought to be looking to move back home following a season in Cheshire. The defender, who is a centre back but has also played on the left, made his EFL breakthrough with Accrington Stanley before moving to Shropshire with Shrewsbury.

He was part of Paul Hurst’s 2017/18 play-off finalists and would make 80 league appearances with Salop across three seasons.

D3D4 Football also understands the O’s are looking to land attacker Paul Smyth following his release from QPR. The 23-year-old, from Northern Ireland, was on loan at Accrington last season scoring four times in 40 appearances in all competitions.