FORMER Cherries loan star Andrew Surman is on the verge of completing a permanent move to Dean Court, the Daily Echo can exclusively reveal.

Surman has been given permission to speak to Cherries after a transfer fee – believed to be in the region of £500,000 – was agreed with their Championship rivals Norwich.

The 28-year-old is understood to have finalised personal terms on a three-year contract and is currently undergoing a medical at Dean Court.

Midfielder Surman, who has kept the family home in Southampton, has been a long-time target for Cherries boss Eddie Howe having impressed during a lengthy loan spell last season.

Surman became Howe’s fourth summer addition last year when he signed on a season-long loan. And although he took time to rediscover his form, he was a revelation during the second-half of the season, starting all but two of the final 29 games as Cherries secured a 10th-placed finish.

He had featured prominently in Norwich’s pre-season campaign but had started just one Championship match – on the opening day at Wolves – and was not involved in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Cherries.

Surman played alongside Howe when he made 26 appearances for Cherries at the start of 2005-06 after signing temporarily from neighbours Southampton. He left Saints for Wolves in a £1.2million deal in 2009 and joined Norwich for an undisclosed fee in June 2010, helping the Canaries win the Championship during his first season at Carrow Road.

However, despite featuring for the Norfolk outfit in the Premier League in 2011-12, Surman was restricted by a knee injury to just seven appearances in 2012-13.

Surman is in the final year of his contract at Carrow Road and has slipped down the pecking order following a host of signings, the latest being Belgium midfielder Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe from Club Brugge.

Cherries have also been linked with a move for Derby County frontman Johnny Russell and are understood to have tabled a third bid for the Scotsman after the first two were rejected.

Meanwhile, out-of-favour Cherries defender Stephane Zubar is expected to link up with League One strugglers Crewe Alexandra for a trial later this week.

Zubar, whose stay at Dean Court has been plagued by injury, has not featured for Cherries under Howe, his last competitive appearance for the club coming in Paul Groves’s final game as manager at Crawley in October 2012.

The 26-year-old, who has a year left on his contract with Cherries, has also had trials with Cambridge United and Partick Thistle and could join the Railwaymen on loan once the window has reopened next week. Crewe have lost all five of their league games this season, conceding 13 goals in the process.