Ipswich Town are looking to strengthen for the 25/26 Championship campaign. Stuart Watson picks out players that were known to be of interest to the Blues over recent windows and gives a verdict on whether they could still be potential targets...
Ipswich had a £16m bid for Liverpool winger Ben Doak rejected in January. (Image: PA)
BEN DOAK
Both Ipswich and Crystal Palace tabled bids of around £16m for Doak back in January, but Liverpool knocked them back.
The 19-year-old, already capped six times by Scotland, is a direct-running right-winger who provided three goals and seven assists during a season-long loan spell at Championship club Middlesbrough last season.
Of Town's current right wing options, Wes Burns, Chiedozie Ogbene and Jaden Philogene are all working their way back from significant injuries, while Omari Hutchinson could yet have a relegation release clause triggered.
Premier League trio Everton, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are all reportedly interested in a player who is said to be available for £25m+ this summer.
VERDICT: Out of reach.
Town tried to land Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on loan from Crystal Palace following promotion from League One. (Image: PA)
JESURUN RAK-SAKYI
Town were close to signing the Crystal Palace winger on loan following promotion to the Championship in 2023.
The tricky left-footed right-winger, who had just scored 15 goals on loan at Charlton in League One, ended up staying at Selhurst Park due to a shortage of numbers and played a bit-part role in their 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
The 22-year-old subsequently spent last season on loan at Sheffield United where he provided seven goals and two assists for a team that racked up 90 points before going on to suffer Championship Play-Off Final heartbreak.
Now heading into the final two years of a five-year contract, Palace are said to be open to a sale. Southampton, who reportedly had a £5m bid rejected last summer, could reignite their interest.
VERDICT: I could definitely see Ipswich revisiting this, especially if Hutchinson leaves.
Ipswich enquired about Sheffield Wednesday's versatile left-sider Marvin Johnson midway through their Championship promotion campaign. (Image: PA)
MARVIN JOHNSON
Town showed strong interest in the versatile left-sider midway through their Championship promotion campaign, but couldn't strike a deal with Sheffield Wednesday.
Johnson started 30 games for an Owls side that finished 12th in the Championship last season and is now a free agent.
The 34-year-old reportedly has 'increasing interest from (clubs in) both the second and third tier of English football'.
VERDICT: The only way I could this happening is if Leif Davis were to leave. Johnson could then come in as inexpensive competition to Conor Townsend.
Town had a transfer deadline bid for striker Emmanuel Latte Lath rejected by Middlesbrough last summer. He's now at Atlanta United. (Image: PA)
EMMANUEL LATTE LATH
Ipswich scrambled to try and sign the striker from Middlesbrough on transfer deadline last summer, making what his agent called 'a big offer', but Boro said no because they had no time to land a replacement.
The Ivory Coast international went on to score 11 goals in the first half of the Championship season, adding to his 16 from the previous campaign, subsequently making a £22.5m switch to MLS side Atlanta United in January.
The 26-year-old made a blistering start to life in the US, but then saw his form tail off for a struggling side.
VERDICT: With Liam Delap gone, Town clearly need a striker to compete with George Hirst. Would Atlanta sell after just six months? Would Ipswich be willing/able to give them a big chunk of their money back? Unlikely I'd say.
Ipswich pulled the plug on a loan deal for Chelsea striker Armando Broja (left) last summer. He went on to play limited minutes at Everton. (Image: PA)
ARMANDO BROJA
Town had a deal for the Chelsea striker - a season-long loan with a £30m obligation to buy - all wrapped up last summer. An Achilles issue was discovered at the medical stage though and the plug was pulled.
Broja, 23, subsequently joined Everton on loan on transfer deadline day. He wasn't fit to play until early December, suffered an ankle set-back, and finished the campaign having failed to score in four starts and seven sub appearances for the Toffees.
VERDICT: Someone will either land a bargain or land a lemon. Whether Ipswich would be prepared to take a calculated risk could well be a moot point given clubs in Germany, France, Italy and Spain are all said to be interested. It feels to me like this ship has sailed. If Town are to sign a Chelsea striker it's more likely to be Marc Guiu on loan.
Town came close to bringing Flynn Downes back to Portman Road last summer before the midfielder opted to sign for Southampton. (Image: PA)
FLYNN DOWNES
Ipswich came close to bringing the Playford Road academy product back to his boyhood club last summer. Ultimately, however, the all-action midfielder opted to sign permanently for Southampton, in a £16m deal, having just helped them to Championship promotion.
Downes loved playing for Russell Martin, but didn't see eye-to-eye with replacement Ivan Juric. Ipswich, seeing that situation unfold, made a tentative enquiry in the January transfer window.
VERDICT: I'd imagine that new Saints boss Will Still will want to work with Downes. If he doesn't, then I can't see them wanting to sell to a likely promotion rival. That's a shame because the 26-year-old could be the perfect successor to skipper Sam Morsy.
Ipswich had multiple bids for Greek striker Fotis Ioannidis knocked back by Panathinaikos last summer. (Image: PA)
FOTIS IOANNIDIS
Ipswich reportedly had multiple bids for the Greek striker - which eventually reached €25 million - rejected by Panathinaikos last June.
Ioannidis wasn't quite as prolific in the season just gone. He netted 10 league goals as the Athens club finished 16 points behind champions Olympiakos, got on the scoresheet against Fiorentina in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League and also bagged international goals against Finland (2), Ireland and, earlier this month, Bulgaria.
His price is now said to be €20 million.
VERDICT: Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon look to be the frontrunners, with Fulham and Crystal Palace also linked. This deal now looks firmly out of Ipswich's reach.
Might Ipswich renew their 2023 interest in Coventry striker Ellis Simms? (Image: PA)
ELLIS SIMMS
Simms was a player of significant interest to Ipswich when they got promoted to the Championship in 2023. The Blues reportedly made a £4m bid, but he ultimately moved from Everton to Coventry in a deal said to be worth up to £8m.
The 24-year-old front man went on to score 19 goals in an impressive 23/24 season, but hit just seven in the campaign just gone as Frank Lampard shared his striker minutes between Simms and Brandon Thomas-Asante last season. He was an unused sub in both play-off semi-final games.
VERDICT: This is a deal that wouldn't break the bank and would leave Ipswich with a hungry, experienced-at-this-level asset with plenty of room for growth. Can't rule this out.
TANNER TESSMANN
Town were said to have discussed taking the USA international midfielder on loan last summer had he moved to Inter Milan. Instead, the now 23-year-old switched from Italian club Venezia to French outfit Lyon in a €6 million deal.
Tessmann helped Lyon reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they suffered a dramatic defeat to Manchester United, and a sixth-place Ligue 1 finish. However, the seven-time champions have now been relegated to the second-tier after failing to convince authorities they have resolved some financial difficulties.
VERDICT: Out of reach. Will want to continue playing top flight football in the lead up to a World Cup in his home nation. Roma have been linked.
Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth reportedly wants to leave Brighton to play regular football. (Image: PA)
CARL RUSHWORTH
Several media outlets stated that Ipswich were eyeing a move for the young Brighton keeper last summer following Vaclav Hladky's departure.
Town went on to sign Aro Muric from Burnley instead and he endured a difficult debut campaign. Rushworth, meanwhile, joined Hull on loan in January, was quickly recalled due to an injury to Jason Steele, and spent the second half of the season warming the bench for the Seagulls.
Now third-choice at The Amex again it's been reported that the 22-year-old is keen to find a new permanent home this summer.
VERDICT: Can't see this being revisited. Even if Muric departs, Christian Walton pushes for an exit and Cieran Slicker is loaned out, Ipswich still wouldn't be able to offer Rushworth the guaranteed game time he's after with Alex Palmer at the club.
Sam Gallagher (second right) moved from Blackburn to Stoke last summer. (Image: PA)
SAM GALLAGHER
Blackburn director Gregg Broughton confirmed that Ipswich made a bid for the striker midway through their Championship promotion campaign.
It's understood the Blues offered £1.5m, while the Lancashire club held out for £2-3m. Town signed Kieffer Moore and Ali Al-Hamadi in the latter stages of the January window instead.
Gallagher moved to Stoke for £1.5m last summer. Towards the end of an injury-hit campaign, he was vying with Al-Hamadi for minutes. Scored three goals from nine starts and 13 sub appearances.
VERDICT: No chance. Town need someone more robust.