Ipswich Town are stepping up their interest in Burnley winger Wilson Odobert as they look to steal a march on their rivals for the French attacker, TEAMtalk can reveal.
Premier League new boys Ipswich have targeted a move for Odobert as they look to strengthen their attacking options before the close of the transfer window on August 30, but the Tractor Boys fear they could miss out on him with several big clubs also preparing moves for the skilful forward.
Odobert, who joined Burnley last summer from Troyes, was one of the club’s shining lights despite their relegation from the Premier League.
The 19-year-old made 29 appearances for the Clarets in the Premier League last season and chipped in with three goals and three assists under Vincent Kompany.
Burnley are now facing a battle to keep hold of the France Under-23 international as a result of their relegation and could be forced to cash in on him to fund their own transfer plans.
Ipswich are in the market for a new winger having missed out on Jaden Philogene, who re-joined Aston Villa from Championship side Hull City on a five-year deal last month, and are keen on Odobert.
Portman Road boss Kieran McKenna is a big admirer of Odobert and sees him as someone with huge potential who could develop into a top player in his exciting Ipswich side.
Ipswich’s interest in Odobert comes as the Suffolk club attempt to seal a deal for Blackburn Rovers man Sammie Szmodics, who topped the Championship scoring charts last season with a total of 27 goals.
Ipswich also keen on Sammie Szmodics after crunch Blackburn talks
TEAMtalk revealed that Szmodics and his agent held heated discussions with Blackburn’s hierarchy last week, with the Republic of Ireland international pushing for a move to Ipswich to fulfil his ambition of playing in the Premier League.
Talks are ongoing between Ipswich and Blackburn, but the clubs remain far apart in their valuation of the former Peterborough man, who is under contract at Ewood Park until the summer of 2026.
Blackburn, who narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship last season despite Szmodics’ contributions in front of goal, are not prepared to sell the 28-year-old unless a club meets their valuation.
Asked about his pursuit of Szmodics following Ipswich’s pre-season friendly win over Hoffenheim last Saturday, McKenna said: “I never speak individually – and never have done – about players from other clubs.
“The club are working very hard to strengthen the team and the squad. That’s ongoing in several different areas. We hope that’ll progress well in the next few weeks.
“You can’t be working on one thing at a time and the club aren’t. We’re all working really, really hard on different targets and different positions. That’s just the process that a team in our position has to go through.
“We’re happy with the players that we brought in, we think they’re all good additions for the group and we’re hoping to bring in more players to strengthen the group.
“We hope to do that as soon as possible but we’ll always place the upmost importance on bringing in the right player and the right character that can help us now and be the right fit for the medium and longer term as well.”
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