Ipswich Town have reportedly made a €25 million bid for Panathinaikos striker Fotis Ioannidis.
Greek outlets claimed that the Blues submitted a €22.5 million offer earlier this week, which was rejected.
Reports of an improved bid initially came from Sportime.gr, who claimed that it was rejected on Wednesday morning. Journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos has since added that, while Serie A duo Bologna and Lazio are both keen on signing him, Panathinaikos are holding out for a fee north of €30 million.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has subsequently backed up the claim that Town submitted a €25 million ‘package bid’ for the 24-year-old, with Bologna’s offer standing at €18 million with €2 million in add-ons.
He added that another Premier League club are expected to enter the race, but it remains to be seen who that is. Girona and Sporting CP have also been linked with a move.
Ioannidis finished the campaign with 15 goals and seven assists, having scored twice in 11 caps for Greece since earning his first call-up in 2022.
When reports of Town’s initial €22.5 million bid surfaced earlier this week, I labelled them as ‘a bit far-fetched’. However, the new €25 million bid has been backed up by Romano, which indicates that there could be something in it. There aren’t many occasions when he’s wrong.
If true, it shows Ipswich’s ambition and financial muscle, but this still looks like a difficult deal to do. The Blues are competing with sides who can offer Champions League football, while Panathinaikos are seemingly holding out for a €30 million fee, which is roughly £25 million.
This all depends on how big the budget is and whether the Blues are going to submit a bid for Chelsea’s Omari Hutchinson in the coming weeks. We’re talking about huge numbers that would shatter their record transfer fee.
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