Breaking News:Ipswich Presented with £20k-p/w Talent: Townsend Replacement on the Horizon

Ipswich Town fans will be impatiently counting down the days until the Premier League season begins, as the jittery Tractor Boys are thrust right into the action against Liverpool on the first day.

Manchester City will be the next big test of Kieran McKenna’s team’s grit, but those high-profile games will not decide whether the Suffolk outfit stays up or goes down at the end of the 38-game marathon.

The popular former Manchester United figure will want more bodies in the door before the end of the month to help his underdogs pull off another unbelievable achievement and try to survive, with this out-of-the-box goal now on the table from Serie A.

Ipswich looking at another defensive addition

According to Italian football outlet Calcio Mercato, AC Milan defender Fode Ballo-Toure is being touted as a potential Ipswich Town signing this summer, with the left-back’s agent attempting to land him a deal in the Premier League this season after offering him to McKenna and co.

Watford and Leeds United are also cited as interested parties in England, but Ballo-Toure is intrigued on the prospect of playing top-flight football in his probable new surroundings if he decides to leave the prestigious Rossoneri for pastures new.

What Ballo-Toure can offer Ipswich

Ballo-Toure, who previously played on loan in the Premier League with Fulham, could be viewed as an immediate upgrade on another new Ipswich recruit, Conor Townsend, with the Senegalese full-back even lining up to play in the Champions League during his underwhelming time at the San Siro.

Moreover, when looking at the 27-year-old’s numbers for his previous employers over his disappointing time with Milan, he could well be a more attack-oriented option over the steady ex-West Bromwich Albion man, which will suit Ipswich more if they need another gung-ho presence down the left if Leif Davis is sidelined.

According to Capology, the £20k-per-week defender has also demonstrated his offensive abilities in flashes for Milan, as evidenced by this last-gasp winner against Empoli during the 2022/23 season, which remains the lone goal he has scored in 26 games for the Serie A club.

However, in his Ligue 1 days before moving to Italy, the veteran talent proved to be a considerably more confident and consistent presence while storming forward, with nine assists in 108 French top league games.

Looking at Townsend next to Ballo-Toure, the former Baggies player would not exactly excite Ipswich fans next season if he was pushed into the deep end of the starting lineup. With four assists last season, the 31-year-old is concerned that his position in the Ipswich pecking order may be jeopardised if the Senegalese defender signs this summer, knowing what his rival has been capable of in his career when at his best.

Ballo-Toure struggled to make an impact for Fulham last season while on loan, with only eight games handed to him in total across the 2023/24 season, and will hope for another chance to shine again in the tough league with the Tractor Boys, even with Townsend already bolstering the left-back spot.

When the deal to Fulham was announced, the African full-back was even rated as “talented” by Cottagers Head of Football Operations Tony Khan, only for things to go wrong.

Townsend, on the other hand, has a relegation on his CV from his last Premier League appearance, and with McKenna in charge, who loves attacking footballers and has turned Davis into an assist machine, Ballo-Toure could well shine for the Suffolk club if he is signed ahead of the new season, which begins soon.