4 Ipswich Town transfer matters that Kieran McKenna will have to deal with very soon | OneFootball

Ipswich Town will be looking to launch a push for promotion in League One next season after showing some real signs of promise under the guidance of manager Kieran McKenna during the 2021/22 campaign.

McKenna led the Blues to 11 victories in the third-tier after being handed over the reins at Portman Road in December.

Having already decided to cut ties with James Norwood, Myles Kenlock, Tomas Holy and Tom Carroll, the Ipswich boss will now be switching his focus to potential incomings this summer.

With the transfer window set to open next month, it will be interesting to see whether the Tractor Boys are able to nail their recruitment.

Here, we have decided to take a look at four Ipswich transfer matters that McKenna will have to deal with very soon…

Will McKenna exercise Ipswich’s option to buy Tyreeq Bakinson?

When Ipswich signed Tyreeq Bakinson on loan in the January transfer window, Bristol City confirmed that the League One side will have an option to buy him at the end of his temporary stint.

However, despite the fact that the midfielder made 17 appearances in the third-tier last season and produced some encouraging performances at this level, McKenna has yet to make a decision on whether to sign him.

Given that Bakinson managed to average a respectable WhoScored match rating of 6.77 in League One for Ipswich, he could potentially go on to excel in this division under the guidance of McKenna and thus it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the club opt to sign him on a permanent basis.

Ipswich have recently been linked with a move for Leicester City forward George Hirst.

As per a report from TWTD, Hirst is currently one of a number of strikers who the Blues are tracking ahead of the summer transfer window.

During his loan spell at Portsmouth last season, the 23-year-old scored 13 goals for the club in the third-tier and provided three assists for his team-mates.

In order to avoid the possibility of missing out on Hirst, Ipswich must step up their pursuit next month if the forward is indeed one of their key targets.

Will McKenna sanction a permanent exit for Vaclav Hladky?

One of the individuals who has recently been linked with a permanent exit from Ipswich is goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.

As per a report from the Daily Record, Aberdeen are looking to sign the former St Mirren player on a permanent deal this summer.

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Hladky only made 12 league appearances for Ipswich last season due to the presence of Christian Walton and may not be keen to act as a back-up option for his team-mate next season.

However, before sanctioning an exit for Hladky, McKenna will need to draft up a list of replacements for the keeper as Ipswich will be short of options in this particular position.

Could Ipswich look to challenge Preston North End for a permanent deal for Bersant Celina?

Bersant Celina’s loan spell at Portman Road is set to reach a crescendo at the end of May and he is already attracting interest from elsewhere.

According to a report from TWTD, Preston North End are interested in signing the Kosovo international on a permanent deal from French side Dijon.

scored six goals and provided six assists for his team-mates.

McKenna will have to decide in the coming weeks whether it is worth trying to beat Preston to Celina’s signature this summer.