Ipswich Town are close to finalising a major January transfer as they prepare to welcome Brighton to Portman Road of Thursday night.
Ipswich, who are third from bottom in the Premier League, have been pushing to complete on Jaden Philogene’s £20m arrival from Aston Villa and are now expected to do so in the next 24 hours.
Advertisement
The attacking winger will be too late to feature in Ipswich’s clash against the Seagulls but Philogene could be in place for Kieran Mckenna’s team by the weekend as they welcome Manchester City on Sunday.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano posted: “Ipswich Town are confident to resolve final details of Jaden Philogene deal in the next 24 hours and then sign all documents. Almost there.”
The 22-year-old underwent his medical at Portman Road, last week and will end his brief six-month return to Villa Park.
The Tractor Boys tried to sign Philogene last summer and agreed a fee of around £18m with Hull but Villa swiftly activated their buy-back option, having previously sold the England under-21 international to Hull in 2023.
He made four starts for Unai Emery’s side this term, including against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and 11 substitute appearances.
Meanwhile, Brighton have transfer issues of their own as boss Fabian Hurzeler has not ruled out January loan moves for Evan Ferguson and Julio Enciso.
The two forwards have struggled for minutes this season having worked their way back from long-term injuries last term.
“We will negotiate what is important for him, what is important for his development, where he can improve the best and then we will make the decision together,” Hurzeler said on Ferguson’s future ahead of Brighton’s Premier League trip to Ipswich on Thursday.
Advertisement
“This decision should be what is best for the player and for the club. We sent (Facundo) Buonanotte, for example, to Leicester.
“In the end, they want to play for Brighton and we want them to play for Brighton. So, that’s why I am not thinking about making the other teams better, it’s more about what is best for the player.”
Paraguay international Enciso scored his first goal since May 2023 in Brighton’s 4-0 FA Cup win at Norwich on Saturday.
Hurzeler said: “Julio has value, special potential and a profile that helps us in different situations.
“He’s giving everything for the club because he says he really likes to play for Brighton and he has shown it on the pitch this season.
“We are really happy to have him here, but we always have to negotiate what is the best individual development for the player.”
Brighton have slipped to 10th in the Premier League after eight games without a win in the competition, drawing six of those.
Leave a Reply