Ipswich Town closing in on Blackburn Rovers star | OneFootball

The Tractor Boys have struck a major breakthrough in their quest to sign Sammie Szmodics.

Ipswich Town are close to sealing a move for Blackburn Rovers forward Sammie Szmodics.

According to Fabrizio Romano, a deal has been agreed between the two sides, with Rovers' star set to undergo a medical today ahead of his move to Portman Road.

The Tractor Boys will land one of their key targets if they manage to seal this deal - and he looks set to be one of several shrewd additions for the club during this summer transfer window.

Arijanet Muric will add plenty of quality to their goalkeeping department after Vaclav Hladky's departure - and Ben Johnson, Jacob Greaves and Connor Townsend will be looking to strengthen their defence too after joining.

Greaves looks like a particularly exciting signing, having shone for Hull City in recent seasons.

In terms of their midfield, Kalvin Phillips looks set to make the move to Suffolk, which should allow them to be stronger in the middle of the park.

And further forward, Omari Hutchinson and Liam Delap are promising players who should help to add plenty of quality to their final third, with Hutchinson shining under Kieran McKenna during the 2023/24 promotion-winning campaign.

Szmodics should also be a threat in the Premier League, having been a prolific asset for Rovers during the 2023/24 campaign, filling the void that Ben Brereton Diaz created with his departure.

Ipswich Town closing in on Sammie Szmodics move

According to Romano, a deal has now been agreed and the 28-year-old is set to undergo a medical today, ahead of his switch to Portman Road.

Alan Nixon has reported that Ipswich missed a deadline to sign the forward in a £9m (plus extras) deal - but they were willing to fork out the £10m needed to agree a deal with John Eustace's side.

Rovers failed in their attempts to keep the player, having offered him a £22,000-per-week contract, but a positive for them is the fact they haven't sold the player to a league rival.

They were reluctant to sell the player to a team in the same division, amid interest from Leeds and Sheffield United.

Ipswich are the team that have managed to match Rovers' valuation of the 28-year-old, with the Tractor Boys agreeing a £10m deal, with add-ons on top of that.

Blackburn Rovers must move quickly to find Sammie Szmodics replacement

Rovers can't afford to hang around.

They must pursue a replacement for Szmodics between now and the end of the window, because he was a game-changer at Ewood Park.

It won't be easy to replace his 33 goals from last season and if they don't manage to bring in another gifted forward, you feel Eustace's side could struggle.

The Lancashire side have managed to survive after the departures of Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton Diaz, but that's because they had other attacking assets who could step up to the plate in their places.

They look set to receive a decent sum for Szmodics - and spending a chunk of that on another forward would be the right decision.