Potential departures
Omari Hutchinson is catching the eye with impressive performances at Euro U21 (Image: Ross Halls)
Omari Hutchinson
The Omari Hutchinson rumours feel like they could spiral out of control into a long-winded saga, which is concerning.
Faced with links earlier in the summer, there was a report that claimed Ipswich were confident that they would be able to keep him. An impressive Euro U21 campaign, however, has seen the Daily Mail report that six clubs are keeping tabs on him: Fulham, West Ham, Everton, Brentford, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
It has been widely claimed that the 21-year-old has a £35m relegation release clause. The article claims that Hutchinson would ‘like to continue testing himself at the highest level’.
Verdict: I’m sticking with my gut and saying that I think Hutchinson stays at Ipswich, but I become less and less confident every passing day. His performances on international duty are catching the eye, and there will be plenty of scouts watching carefully.
Hopefully the club can sort his future, on way or another, as soon as possible.
Potential signings
Patrick Agyemang
The most concrete rumour about a prospective signing that we’ve seen in quite a while, Ipswich are apparently keen on Charlotte FC striker Patrick Agyemang.
This one came from GiveMeSport following Fabrizio Romano’s report of Derby County’s interest, with the latter saying that the Rams are ‘closing in on a deal’. Major League Soccer expert Tom Bogert has said that there is no agreement in place with any team, adding that Ipswich and Genk are also eyeing a move following Luton Town’s rejected bid back in January.
Agyemang is a 24-year-old striker, standing at 6ft 4ins, who has bagged six goals and one assist in 16 MLS games this season. He is also a nine-cap US international, having scored five goals at senior level.
Verdict: The source is reliable, so I’m not going to doubt Ipswich’s interest. It sounds to me like Derby are at the front of the queue and could probably offer more game time, but there would surely be an appeal of joining Ipswich, knowing that promotion to the Premier League is more likely with them than with the Rams.
He ticks the box for age and physical profile, but I do have my doubts about a transition to English football. Not at all convinced that he’ll end up at Portman Road.
Chido Obi has impressed Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim (Image: PA)
Chido Obi
It’s been a little while since the Blues have been linked with a Man Utd player, but there has been one recently. OnTheMinute.com have claimed that they are one of three teams interested in signing youngster Chido Obi on loan for the 2025/26 season.
Born in Glostrup, Denmark, the attacker joined the Red Devils after a two-year stint in Arsenal’s academy. He has since gone on to feature eight times for Ruben Amorim’s side and is a Denmark U21 international despite being just 17 years old.
Leicester City and Middlesbrough are also credited with interest.
Verdict: Not convinced by the source, nor do I think this would be the right fit. Obi clearly has a huge future ahead of him and Man United will use pre-season to take a look at him following his brace in their post-season tour of Malaysia.
A Championship promotion battle, with a real competition to start, as your first senior loan at 17 years old? It just doesn’t feel overly suitable to me.
The Blues are still working on expanding their foreign recruitment network (Image: PA)
Tomas Rigo
Ipswich are among a handful of teams to be linked with a move for Slovak midfielder Tomas Rigo.
The 22-year-old started his career in his native country before joining Slavia Prague, working his way through the ranks before completing a permanent move to Czech rivals Banik Ostrava in 2023.
A five-cap Slovakia international, he has been playing with the U21s at this summer’s European Championships, where he stood out. Sport.sk claim that Town, who were apparently interested in Rigo last season, are still keeping an eye on him alongside Trabzonspor and Hellas Verona.
Verdict: Every chance there could be something in this, but I’m not totally convinced by the source and personally don’t think it will lead to anything.
One outlet in Slovakia has likened him to Bastian Schweinsteiger and Cesc Fabregas, which is exciting, but a move to the Championship – when Ipswich are in need of some top-level quality and experience in their midfield – doesn’t feel suitable.
Other news
Aston Villa reportedly have an eye on Jens Cajuste (Image: Ross Halls)
Jens Cajuste
We all know that Ipswich are interested in re-signing Jens Cajuste, but that hasn’t stopped him from being linked with a fair few teams since finishing his loan spell at Portman Road.
According to areanapoli.it, Antonio Conte has no plans for him in Naples, with his performances for Town drawing interest from some Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa, and Ligue 1 sides.
A move to Udinese was also rumoured, with claims that Cajuste had been offered in a swap deal for Lorenzo Lucca, but this is apparently a difficult deal to do.
Verdict: Unsure about the source, but I’m not really sure about any of these clubs for Cajuste. Minutes would surely be limited at Aston Villa, who could be put off by his injury record. A Ligue 1 switch wouldn’t be impossible, but having played for Reims, I don’t think he’d be desperate to return to France. He sounds like a man who wants to travel and experience new things.
Truthfully, I don’t think that he’ll end up back at Ipswich, but I hope that we get some concrete links regarding his future sooner rather than later.