Alex Baptiste: Bolton Wanderers set to sign Blackpool defender

Alex Baptiste is set to leave Blackpool and sign a three-year contract with Championship rivals Bolton Wanderers, reports 大象传媒 Radio Manchester.

The defender, 27, could be joined at Bolton by full-back Marc Tierney, who has been released by Norwich City.

Baptiste has played 190 times for the Seasiders, scoring nine goals, after joining from Mansfield Town in 2008.

He was one of seven out-of-contract players to be offered new deals by Blackpool at the end of 2012-13.

Image caption, Marc Tierney's only Premier League appearance of 2012-13 came on the opening day at Fulham

But that a deadline set by chairman Karl Oyston for the players to begin discussions about staying at Bloomfield Road has now passed and the club have started to look for replacements.

Baptiste helped Blackpool win promotion to the Premier League in 2010 via the play-offs and appeared 21 times in their solitary season in the top flight.

Tierney, also 27, played six times for Norwich last term but only one of his appearances came in the Premier League.

He was one of 10 players to be told they would not be offered fresh terms at Carrow Road.

Bolton, who narrowly missed out on a Championship play-off spot, made a bid for Leicester striker Jermaine Beckford earlier this month.