Irish international defender Richard Dunne is set to leave Everton to join Wimbledon.

The 20-year-old defender will fly to London this morning to discuss the details of a four-year deal with Wimbledon manager Terry Burton, after yesterday's £2.5m bid for him was accepted at Goodison Park.

The Tallaght man is relishing the prospect of joining the Dons: "This is a great opportunity for me because my chances of regular first-team football at Everton this season were becoming slimmer by the week", he explained.

The move will give him the chance to play week in week out - just what he needs to keep him to the forefront of international manager Mick McCarthy's mind.

But being at Wimbledon will also give Dunne the comfort of playing in the position which suits him best.

"I've been in and out of the Everton defence over the past few seasons, but most of my matches were at right-full or right wing back. I'm a centre half by nature, an that's where I want to play," he said.

Dunne is seen by Wimbledon as the ideal replacement for Hermann Hreidarsson, who is moving to Ipswich in a £4m deal.