Republic of Ireland midfielder Jack Byrne set to join Cypriot side APOEL on a two and a half year deal.

Shamrock Rovers  star Jack Byrne looks to finally set to begin a new chapter of his playing career outside of Ireland. He flew out on Sunday to begin talks with Cypriot side APOEL, currently managed by Mick McCarthy.

The former Ireland manager took over the side in November after the sacking of Marinos Ozonidis. APOEL is Cyprus’s most successful football team, but in recent seasons have struggled.

They currently find themselves in ninth place in the Cypriot first division, using the January window to rebuild the squad. Byrne’s contract ran out at the end of last season and has since turned down a renewal.

The turned down contracted at Rovers was described by current manager Stephen Bradley as “fantastic.” Since arriving at the Hoops in 2018, the midfielder has won the PFA player of the year two years running.

He has also broken into two Ireland squads under two different managers, making his first senior cap. With his recent rise to fame gaining widespread attention from numerous clubs. Clubs such as Stoke City, Bournemouth, and Colorado Rapids were all interested in the Irishman’s signature.

However, after taking some time at Christmas to make his decision, he appears to have finally found the ideal team. 

“I’ll sit down with my family and know everything that’s on the table; I’ll make a decision that’s best for me, my family, and my football,”

From recent reports, the midfielder will sign a two-and-a-half-year deal with APOEL. The Dubliner’s move is set to be confirmed in the coming days as he waits to put pen to paper.

Apoel have still failed to recover their recent years good form and lost again on Monday to newly promoted Karmiotissa 1-0 who scored scored in the second minute with a classic strike from Kenan Bergan.

Karmiotissa have already had good results with other top teams in Cyprus beating Apollon and drawing against AEK, Anorthosis and Apoel earlier in the season.

This defeat puts pressure on Mick McCarthy and Apoel as they are in ninth place with 16 points.

In Monday’s other game AEL beat Olympiakos 3-0 in Limassol with their goals coming from Riera 16th minute penalty , Babic 62nd minute penalty and Majdevac 69th minute to lift AEL into second place two points behind their Limassol rivals Apollon and one point above third placed Anorthosis.