Exclusive: Ipswich Town backed to beat Sheffield United in AFC Bournemouth, Philip Billing transfer race | OneFootball

Don Goodman has given his verdict on whether Bournemouth midfielder Philip Billing should join Ipswich Town or Sheffield United.

Don Goodman believes Ipswich Town would be a better fit for Bournemouth midfielder Philip Billing than Sheffield United as the Championship pair battle for his signature.

Billing joined Bournemouth from Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2019 for a fee of £15 million, but after falling out of favour at the Vitality Stadium last season, he spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Italian giants Napoli.

Napoli signed Billing on loan with the option to buy for a fee of around €9-10 million this summer, but despite the fact he scored one goal in 10 appearances to help Antonio Conte's side to the Serie A title during his temporary spell, they have decided against signing him permanently.

Billing has been brought back into the fold at Bournemouth since his return, but while manager Andoni Iraola insisted he is "happy" to have the 29-year-old at his disposal, he admitted he is unsure whether he will still be at the Vitality Stadium when the transfer window closes.

Ipswich are believed to have made an enquiry about the possible loan signing of Billing as they look to bring him to Portman Road, but they face competition from fellow Championship promotion hopefuls Sheffield United, while two German clubs are also said to be keen on the Denmark international.

Don Goodman tips Ipswich Town to beat Sheffield United to Philip Billing

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Goodman claimed that Billing could favour a move to Ipswich over Sheffield United as they have a better chance of winning automatic promotion from the Championship this season.

"Obviously Ipswich have had two really tough games against Birmingham City and Southampton," Goodman said.

"I expect Ipswich to certainly be challenging for automatic promotion. They're making waves in the transfer market now as we near the end.

"If you're Philip Billing, you're probably thinking who is going to have the better chance of being in the top two of the Championship this season?

"At the moment, you'd have to say it would be Ipswich.

"If I was a player, that's a factor I would be looking at."

Philip Billing could be the missing piece of the Ipswich Town puzzle

Sheffield United appear to be stepping up their efforts in the transfer market as the deadline approaches, but it has been a poor start to the season for the Blades, and as things stand, it is difficult to disagree with Goodman that Ipswich would be a more attractive move for Billing.

The Tractor Boys already have arguably the strongest squad in the Championship, but the middle of the park is one area where they are a little light, and the addition of a goalscoring midfielder like Billing could be the final piece that Kieran McKenna's side are missing.

Billing scored 10 goals and provided 10 assists in 40 games during his last season in the second tier for Bournemouth in 2021/22, underlining just how much of an attacking threat he would add to the Ipswich midfield, and fresh from winning the Scudetto with Napoli last season, he would no doubt be hungry to achieve more success at Portman Road.

The Tractor Boys are also believed to be interested in Billing's Cherries teammate Lewis Cook, so after spending a fee of around £12 million on Leicester City winger Kasey McAteer on Friday, there could be more eye-catching transfer business to come from the Suffolk outfit before the deadline on 1 September.