Ipswich rivalling West Ham and Crystal Palace for £10m-rated AFCON star
Ipswich are plotting a £10million move for Paris FC star Ilan Kebbal amid interest in his services from a whole host of Premier League sides.
The Tractor Boys are well in with a chance of automatic promotion back to the Premier League this season amid some strong form following a slow start to the campaign.
Kieran McKenna has guided his side to third in the table after 28 matches as it stands, just five behind second-placed Middlesbrough with a game in hand.
Ipswich recently signed Bristol City star man Anis Mehmeti to aid their promotion push, while promotion-winning captain Dan Neil has also joined from Sunderland in the last few days.
They look set for a busy end to the January window, with several incomings and outgoings on the horizon, and Kebbal could represent a shock arrival as a move for his signature is lined up.
Ipswich exploring £10m deal for Paris star Kebbal
Football Insider revealed earlier this month that Crystal Palace, Fulham and Sunderland were interested in Kebbal following some impressive performances in Ligue 1.
The winger recently represented Algeria at AFCON, and has registered seven goals and four assists in 18 French top-flight appearances this season.
Despite Premier League interest, a new report from Alan Nixon claims that Ipswich are looking into a potential £10 million deal for Kebbal as they plan to let Szmodics leave the club before the deadline.
Signing the 27-year-old has become a “priority” for the Tractor Boys amid Championship interest in Szmodics’ services, and West Ham have also reportedly been looking at Kebbal but are set to explore other options in attack.
McKenna has been backed to replace Nuno Espirito Santo at West Ham
McKenna led Ipswich to successive promotions in 2022-23 and 2023-24 as they returned to the Premier League after 22 years away, but they were immediately relegated back to the second tier last season.
The Tractor Boys are on course to be involved in another second-tier relegation battle but McKenna has been linked to West Ham recently amid uncertainty around Nuno’s future.
McKenna emerged as the second-favourite to replace Nuno midway through January, at odds of 5/1 according to a top bookmaker, but the Portuguese manager does look set to keep his job for the foreseeable future after an upturn in form.
The Hammers have won their last three games to move to within five points of top-flight safety, meaning his job is much safer than it was two weeks ago, but sources have told Football Insider that Nuno could still be sacked soon if their performances drop off again.