Newcastle United reveal paves way for Ipswich Town and Leeds United summer battle: View | OneFootball

Ipswich Town and Leeds United are shaping up to be the two teams that fight for second place in the Championship.

The league title appears to be in the hands of Leicester City; they have a six-point lead over both Leeds and Ipswich, and it is theirs to lose with around a quarter of the season to go.

The two promotion-chasing sides are hoping that the Premier League will be their home for the 2024/25 campaign, and they may look to an old target for reinforcements, as he is set to be available for free in the summer.

Newcastle United defender Paul Dummett is set to leave the club, after news came out, from Newcastle reporter Joel Bland, that the club will not be offering him a contract extension in the summer.

The 32-year-old has been with the Magpies since he joined them from Gateshead in 2012. He took a pay-cut at the start of the season in order to stay with the club for one more season, as per Bland.

The Tractor Boys and the Whites could reignite their interest in the defender in the summer, if he is available for free.

Ipswich and Leeds' January window interest in Paul Dummett

At the end of the winter transfer window, the two clubs were both looking to add strength and depth to their respective defences. Leeds had let go of Luke Ayling earlier in the window, and, although Kieran McKenna's side didn't lose any big names from their backline, they still wanted to add to their options.

Football Insider reported that the two clubs were after Dummett on the final day of the window. Neither side were able to bring in the Welsh international, but that doesn't mean their interest in the 32-year-old is no more.

With the defender being set to depart from St. James' Park in the summer, an opportunity could open up for either of the promotion rivals to go out and get him in the summer.

Dummett would immediately add experience and versatility to either of the two sides' defences. He is predominantly a left-back, but he can play as a central defender too.

He has played just under 150 games in the Premier League. That level of experience would be very handy for both sides, regardless of whether they end up in Dummett's current league, or if they end up staying in the Championship.

Leeds only have two true centre-backs that have a contract with the club for next season: Pascal Struijk and Charlie Cresswell. The Dutchman has had fairly consistent injury woes, and Cresswell has been an underutilised part of Daniel Farke's team; he may look for a move away from Elland Road in the summer. Sam Byram is also heading into the summer without a contract for the 24/25 campaign.

They will have Max Wober coming back from a loan spell with Borussia Mönchengladbach too, but reports from Germany suggest that the Bundesliga side want to bring him back permanently in the summer.

Ipswich are looking similarly unstable in defence when it comes to next season.

They face several expiring contracts with Luke Woolfenden's situation up in the air, albeit the club do hold an option to trigger a one-year extension.

Cameron Burgess, Axel Tuanzebe, and Brandon Williams all look set to leave the club in the summer.

They have almost no players in their squad with experience in the Premier League, so Dummett could serve to be a useful addition for McKenna if the Tractorboys make their way back to the top-flight.