Ipswich Town to receive transfer blow as Kieran McKenna target closes in on €7.5m Besiktas switch
After Besiktas reached an agreement with Napoli to sign the midfield player, Ipswich Town will not be bringing Jens Cajuste back to the team.
Although Kieran McKenna’s squad was demoted from the Premier League at the end of the season, 25-year-old Cajuste made an impression when he joined the Tractor Boys on loan from the Italian powerhouses last summer.
After a slow start, the 25-cap Swedish international established himself in the starting lineup and became a clear favourite at Portman Road thanks to his flexibility.
Ipswich Town miss out on Jens Cajuste transfer as Besiktas agree €7.5m deal
However, Fabrizio Romano disclosed that Besiktas is expected to sign Cajuste from Napoli in a deal that would ultimately be worth €7.5 million (£6.4 million), meaning McKenna and the Suffolk team will have to go elsewhere.
According to Romano, a deal has been agreed for an initial €1 million loan fee plus a €6.5 million buy clause, which will become obligatory under “certain conditions”. It’s said that Napoli have given Cajuste the green light to travel over to Turkey for a medical ahead of the completion of his move.
Ipswich Town need midfield reinforcements ahead of the new season
This is a blow for Ipswich as Cajuste is a classy player, and you would have expected him to be a standout performer in the Championship.
| Jens Cajuste’s 2024/2025 stats, as per FotMob | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | Matches Played | Goals | Assists | Minutes Played | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
| Premier League | 30 | 1 | 1 | 1,978 | 2 | 0 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 0 | 0 |
| UEFA Nations League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 33 | 1 | 1 | 2,123 | 2 | 0 |
Practically speaking, they could have paid the sum, but it would have been difficult to persuade the player to move down to the second division given that he would have offers from teams in Europe’s top divisions.
In the end, it appears that Besiktas has prevailed in the competition for his services, and the Istanbul powerhouses’ allure is clear given that they are playing in Europe this year.
Fans will be hoping that Ipswich can move quickly on those targets, as you would expect them to have other choices lined up
Although McKenna has a good bunch, they lack depth in the middle of the park, thus adding a midfield player must be a top objective in addition to a new striker. You would expect a new recruit to start right away.
Therefore, it will be intriguing to see who they are able to sign before the new season starts, which will be a true test for the club as Ipswich takes on Birmingham City on August 8.
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