Ipswich Town could be set to make a move for Lille star Mohamed Bayo, according to reports – with Kieran McKenna wanting to add goals to his squad in a bid to stay in the Premier League.

Bayo, 26, joined Lille back in 2022 after a 14-goal haul at Clermont Foot in the French top-flight, though he’s struggled to earn first-team minutes at the Stade Pierre Mauroy for the time being. As a result, that could see him leave after bagging just six goals in 38 games in Ligue 1 for Bruno Genesio’s men – and Ipswich have taken notice.

Report: Ipswich ‘Make Concrete Steps’ to Sign Mohamed Bayo

The Tractor Boys want to add goals to their ranks

The report from L’Equipe, via GFFN, states that despite starting in the Champions League for Lille on Wednesday night, Bayo is still likely to leave the Ligue 1 club before the end of the transfer window on Monday evening.

He has found game time extremely hard to come by this season, being the backup option behind Canadian star Jonathan David. The Canadian star is ‘very likely’ to depart in the summer on a free transfer with his deal expiring in June, though Bayo is expected to leave in the winter window.

Despite being under contract until 2027, he has been subject to interest from other clubs – and that could see Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich side swoop for his services.

The Tractor Boys, alongside Turkish giants Besiktas, have taken ‘concrete steps’ to sign the Guinea international, with a decision expected to be taken on his future in the coming hours.

Ipswich have only scored 21 league goals this season, with Everton and Southampton being the only sides to have scored less in the Premier League – and although Liam Delap has eight goals to his name already in the top-flight, more goals are needed from elsewhere, with only three players having scored two or more goals in the league.

Sammie Szmodics has four goals to his name after a summer transfer from Blackburn Rovers, whilst marquee signing Omari Hutchinson has two after his move from Chelsea in the summer – and so Bayo could be a strong addition to their ranks.

Ipswich Town are in the mix for Lille striker Mohamed Bayo, with the French side set to make a decision on his future in the coming hours.

That’s according to L’Equipe, who say Ipswich are one of three sides ‘concretely positioned’ for the striker at this moment in time.

The newspaper reports that despite starting in the 6-1 win over Feyenoord, the striker is ‘always on the start’ when it comes to a potential transfer away.0:00

The competition has been ‘strengthened’ for him because Besiktas and Ipswich are also ‘concretely positioned’ for the potential transfer.

L’Equipe don’t state whether they are also looking at a loan deal or something different. We will assume it is a loan at this point until stated otherwise.

Lille are yet to decide on Bayo’s future but are assessing the situation and will make their choice in the coming hours.

That could mean an update later today, with Ipswich very much in the mix for the striker at this moment in time.

Despite starting in the UEFA Champions League win over Feyenoord (6-1) on Wednesday night, Mohamed Bayo (26) is still likely to leave Lille OSC before the closure of the transfer window on 3rd February, according to a report from L’Équipe.

Bayo has found gametime extremely different to come by this season. He has been pigeonholed as the No.2 option at Lille. He is behind the immovable Jonathan David in the pecking order. The Canadian looks very likely to leave Les Dogues in the summer on a free transfer with his current deal expiring, however, Bayo is expected to depart first.

Under contact until the summer of 2027, he is the subject of interest from Royal Antwerp in Belgium, however, their interest is now being rivalled by other clubs, who are making concrete steps to sign the No.9. L’Équipe understands that Turkish side Besiktas and Premier League side Ipsiwch have now made concrete steps to sign the player. A decicion is expected to be taken on his future in the coming hours.

Ipswich Town have been busy this transfer window to date as the Tractor Boys attempt everything in their power to save their skin in the Premier League.

Three new signings have joined the building in the form of Jaden Philogene-Bidace, Ben Godfrey and Julio Enciso, with some more fresh faces expected in through the door before Monday’s deadline.

Ipswich could look to boost their numbers in the striker position between now and then, with the Suffolk side lacking in depth up top away from main man Liam Delap.

Ipswich’s other striker options

The relegation-threatened outfit only really have George Hirst in reserve in case Delap is having a rare off-day, owing to the fact Ali Al-Hamadi is now out on loan at Stoke City until the end of the campaign.

Hirst isn’t exactly firing on all cylinders either away from Al-Hamadi’s January exit, with the 25-year-old’s bad luck with injuries also a big worry for McKenna.

He did fire home seven goals last season as a reliable source of strikes in tense moments, but the 25-year-old only has one goal next to his name this time around up a league, with 12 clashes already missed through injury.

Therefore, he can’t be the only other option up top away from Delap who does have a stunning eight strikes on his Premier League resume, but has shown in recent games that he can’t be deadly machine all of the time particularly when facing off against some of the division’s elite clubs.

Off the back of this, McKenna could be eyeing up some fresh blood in the striker department with Ipswich now sniffing around for his former top-flight ace.

Ipswich could land dream Hirst upgrade

As reported earlier this week by Turkish outlet Milliyet, Ipswich seemingly made an attempt to land Galatasaray centre-forward Michy Batshuayi.

The ex-Chelsea man is also being looked at by West Ham United according to the report, with a further detail revealing that bids around the £4.1m mark have been fielded by the top-flight clubs to try and land the Belgian.

Whilst Batshuayi would obviously find it difficult to displace Delap as the leading marksman, he would no doubt give the ex-Manchester City star greater competition than Hirst is currently offering up when taking a quick glance at his Super Lig numbers.

The Galatasaray number 44 has bagged a reasonable seven goals in all competitions this season, which is just one off Delap’s Premier League tally, with the 31-year-old an impressive watch in the past when situated on English shores.

McKenna could, therefore, utilise Batshuayi as an impact option off the bench when Delap is tiring or misfiring with the Ipswich boss perhaps more confident that the former Blues man can cut it at such a high level when compared next to Hirst.

The £80k-per-week forward will also feel there’s unfinished business for him in the Premier League having once been touted for greatness at Stamford Bridge, with the Belgian becoming an instant hero at Portman Road if he can chip in with a key goal or two to help his new team stave off relegation.

Ipswich Town made a famous return to the Premier League after 22 long years following their second-placed finish in the Championship at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Kieran McKenna has brought back hope at the Portman Road Stadium, with the Ipswich Town faithful bouncing with joy once again. That joy, however, could be short-lived as the Tractor Boys linger in the drop zone.

There’s certainly no denying the fact that Ipswich do not possess the same financial muscle as other teams in England, given that they are the team with the lowest annual payroll in the Premier League. What they do possess, though, are players with immense potential. The likes of Liam Delap, Omari Hutchinson, and Leif Davis have been impactful this season inspite of the fact that they have barely any top-flight experience under their belt.

So, who is the highest earner at Portman Road this season? And who is on the opposite end of the spectrum?

GOAL delved into the numbers from Capology and found out!

• • 

    Goalkeepers

    Kosovo international Arijanet Muric, who previously played for Manchester City, is Ipswich Town’s highest-paid goalkeeper and also among the top earners at the club.

    29-year-old Englishman Christian Walton makes it to the second spot, while Cieran Slicker is the lowest-paid goalkeeper.

    Name	Salary
    Arijanet Muric	£1,820,000
    Christian Wlaton	£1,040,000
    Cieran Slicker	£416,000

• Manchester United academy product Axel Tuanzebe is the top-earning defender at Ipswich Town with a salary of over £2m. However, fans won’t be too happy with the fact that Tuanzebe is higher on this list than someone like Leif Davis or Dara O’Shea. Ben Johnson is the third-highest paid defender.

  The likes of Conor Townsend, Harry Clarke, Cameron Burgess, and Luke Woolfenden all earn under a million pounds and are the lowest-paid defenders.

  Name	Salary
  Axel Tuanzebe	£2,080,000
  Dara O’Shea	£1,820,000
  Ben Johnson	£1,560,000
  Jacob Greaves	£1,300,000
  Leif Davis	£1,300,000
  Conor Townsend	£780,000
  Harry Clarke	£520,000
  Cameron Burgess	£416,000
  Luke Woolfenden	£390,000

• 

  Midfielders

  Kalvin Phillips, on loan from Manchester City, is the highest-earning midfielder as well as the highest-earning player at the club, earning a whopping £7.8m.

  Jens Cajuste and club captain Samy Morsy are the second and third-highest paid midfielders, respectively.

  Jack Taylor and Massimo Luongo are the joint-lowest paid midfielders.

  Name	Salary
  Kalvin Phillips	£7,800,000
  Jens Cajuste	£1,820,000
  Samy Morsy	£1,560,000
  Julio Enciso	£780,000
  Jack Taylor	£520,000
  Massimo Luongo	£520,000

• 

  Attackers

  One would have guessed Sammie Szmodics, Liam Delap, or club-record signing Omari Hutchinson to be the highest-paid attacker at the club, but it’s George Hirst who is earning more than any other Ipswich Town forward. In fact, Hutchinson is the joint-lowest paid player in attack along with Nathan Broadhead.

  Szmodics, Chiedozie Ogbene, and Jack Clarke are the joint-second highest-[aid attackers, with Delap taking the fifth spot on this list.

  Name	Salary
  George Hirst	£1,430,000
  Sammie Szmodics	£1,300,000
  Chiedozie Ogbene	£1,300,000
  Jack Clarke	£1,300,000
  Liam Delap	£1,040,000
  Conor Chaplin	£780,000
  Wes Burns	£520,000
  Ali Al-Hamadi	£520,000
  Nathan Broadhead	£312,000
  Omari Hutchinson	£312,000

• 

  Top 5 highest-paid Ipswich Town players

  As you might have already figured out, Phillips the top earner at Ipswich and by quite some distance. He is earning almost £6m more than Tuanbeze, the next best earner at the club.

  Cajuste, O’Shea, and Muric round out the top five with all three earning £1.82m annually.

  Name	Salary
  Kalvin Phillips	£7,800,000
  Axel Tuanzebe	£2,080,000
  Jens Cajuste	£1,820,000
  Dara O’Shea	£1,820,000
  Arijanet Muric	£1,820,000

• 
  Getty Images Sport

  Top 5 lowest-paid Ipswich Town players

  Backup goalkeeper Slicker is the lowest-paid player at Ipswich with a salary of just £156,000.

  Broadhead and Hutchinson are the joint-second lowest-paid players, with many fans sure to question whether the latter should be paid such a paltry salary given his impact this season.

  Woolfenden and Burgess round out the top five lowest-paid players.

  Name	Salary
  Cieran Slicker	£156,000
  Nathan Broadhead	£312,000
  Omari Hutchinson	£312,000
  Luke Woolfenden	£390,000
  Cameron Burgess	£416,000

• Total salary costs Ipswich Town

  But what does that mean for the overall picture? In which area of the pitch are Ipswich Town spending the most money, and how much do they spend annually on salaries for the first team?

  The Tractor Boys are allocating the highest portion of their budget to the midfield position, spending £13m on the wages of their midfielders annually.