Nottinghamshire are poised to sign Worcestershire’s Joe Clarke, their third major signing in recent weeks.

Clarke is one of county cricket’s most highly rated young batsmen and has courted the interest of Nottinghamshire and Lancashire all season. He is out of contract at the end of the season and with Worcestershire facing relegation, is keen to stay in division one despite the club winning the Vitality Blast at the weekend.

If Clarke joins Nottinghamshire he will follow Ben Duckett and Zak Chappell in signing for the club since the end of August. Duckett has joined Notts on loan from Northamptonshire until the end of the season when his move will become permanent. Chappell, one of the most promising young fast bowlers on the circuit, signed for Notts last week from Leicestershire, a path trodden in recent years by Stuart Broad and James Taylor.

At Yorkshire Adil Rashid is close to agreeing a new four year contract ending his dispute with the club. Rashid will be available to play in all formats having refused earlier this season to play championship cricket, which led to a major falling out with the club and subsequent row when he was picked for England’s Test side. But Rashid has been told by England he has to play championship cricket to be considered for next summer’s Ashes series.