Chelsea could be set for £20m transfer windfall despite contract agreement
The very latest on the future of Omari Hutchinson with Ipswich Town desperate to sign the winger on a permanent deal despite Chelsea triggering an extension on his contract
Ipswich Town are interested in signing Omari Hutchinson on a permanent deal this summer and are targeting a £20million move for the Chelsea winger.
The 20-year-old spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Portman Road where he excelled in the Tractor Boys’ Championship-winning campaign. Hutchinson scored 10 goals and provided six assists for Ipswich last term and Kieran McKenna is determined to bring him back to the club for their first season back in the top-flight for 22 years.
Chelsea, though, just triggered a clause in Hutchinson’s contract to extend the duration of his deal until 2026. That, though, could just be to protect his value more than anything else with speculation still hot over the Jamaica international’s future.
McKenna, who signed a contract extension at Ipswich on Thursday, is keen to bring him back to Portman Road, with the club readying a £20m offer for his services, sources have told football.london. But Ipswich are far from alone in the race to sign Hutchinson.
VfB Stuttgart, Ajax and Feyenoord are just three other clubs keeping an eye on the winger’s situation after a fantastic season last time around. But the offer to work with McKenna again and be part of what is set to be a historic season for Ipswich could win over Hutchinson.
The Jamaican has spoken glowingly about McKenna, someone Chelsea carefully considered for their head coach role recently. Speaking to The Athletic during the 2023/24 season, Hutchinson said: “The coach watched me when I was with Chelsea Under-21s and saw that I could be good at pressing.
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“But I didn’t really do it as much as I should. He said, ‘I’m going to need that from you if you are going to play for me in the Championship’.”
Hutchinson later added: “Tactically, he is just a genius. I have improved a lot since I came here. Him, his coaching staff, and the other players have all improved me. In the attacking third, he has just told me to be free, to do what I am best at – ‘Go at players, that is why we signed you’.”
