Premier League outfit Ipswich Town “will listen to offers” for striker Ali Al-Hamadi, who was previously linked with Sunderland prior to signing for the Tractor Boys, according to reports.
The 22-year-old moved to Portman Road from AFC Wimbledon last January, but has struggled to make much of an impact in East Anglia, and has registered just five goals in 27 appearances. So far this season, he is yet to score in the Premier League, having drawn a blank in each of his 11 outings.
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It is within this context that Ipswich are reportedly considering Al-Hamadi’s exit, with a permanent transfer preferred. Writing on X, journalist Darren Witcoop said: “Ipswich will listen to offers for Ali Al-Hamadi. The Tractor Boys are keen to sell rather than loan out the striker.”
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Reports from elsewhere suggest that Al-Hamadi is attracting interest from the Championship, with the East Anglian Daily Times suggesting that Stoke City are showing an interest in the player. The Potters recently appointed Mark Robbins as their new manager, and could be in the hunt for a new centre-forward after Tom Cannon was recalled from his loan stint by parent club Leicester City earlier this month.
It is also understood that Al-Hamadi held talks with West Brom, now managed by ex-Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray, earlier in the week, but a proposed transfer collapsed, freeing up other clubs in the second tier to pursue a deal for the Iraq international.
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Al-Hamadi is understood to have cost Ipswich around £1 million this time last year, although that fee is said to have risen to somewhere in the region of £2 million with subsequent add-ons. Town boss Kieran McKenna has previously hinted that the club would only consider sanctioning the forward’s departure if they could first bolster their own attacking options this January.
He said: “It’s a big if. We like to have three centre-forwards in the building, or three people who are comfortable in that role. We know that we always use two in pretty much every game since I’ve been here. It’s very rare that we won’t use two strikers, and of course, if you lose one, you’re a lot shorter.
“We want to have three forwards in the building. Hopefully if George Hirst can come through the very last bit now, we’ll have Liam [Delap], George and Ali in the building, which leaves us in a pretty good position. “If we go like that until the end of the season, we’ll have some strong options there. If there are any changes in that, then of course the situation could change for the players here. At the moment, hopefully George gets back and we have the three of those. That gives us the base to work from that we want.”
Al-Hamadi was touted as a potential target for Sunderland last January after having enjoyed a prolific stint with Wimbledon during which he scored 27 goals and assisted eight more across 48 outings. The Black Cats reportedly even went as far as to register their interest in the forward, as well as sending scouts to watch him in action.
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