Huddersfield, Watford deal is a blow to Ipswich Town in striker search: View | OneFootball

It has been an outstanding season for Ipswich Town in the Championship so far.

The Tractor Boys were promoted from League One last season, and they have seamlessly made the step-up to the second tier, spending much of the campaign in the automatic promotion places.

It was a tough festive period for Ipswich as they endured a five-game winless run, but they returned to winning ways with a crucial 2-1 victory over Sunderland at Portman Road on Saturday.

Kieran McKenna's side currently sit second in the table, three points clear of third-placed Southampton, and they are back in action when they make the trip to face leaders Leicester City at Portman Road on Monday night.

The Tractor Boys were dealt a huge blow earlier this month with the news that striker George Hirst will be sidelined until the latter part of the season after undergoing hamstring surgery, and McKenna admitted that it has accelerated the club's search for a new number nine.

"George is seeing a surgeon this week for a repair to a rupture to his hamstring. It will be the very, very back end of the season before he will be eligible," McKenna told the East Anglian Daily Times.

"We wanted to add a goalscorer (in the January transfer window) before George's injury. Now he's ruled out for a large majority of the season that increases that importance."

Ipswich Town transfer news

Ipswich have reportedly made an inquiry about Fulham's Jay Stansfield, who is currently on loan at Birmingham City, while they have had two bids worth £1 million and £1.5 million rejected for Blackburn Rovers' Sam Gallagher.

The Tractor Boys have been linked with Bournemouth's Kieffer Moore, but they face competition for his signature from Cardiff City, Sunderland, Leeds United and Norwich City, and Watford's Mileta Rajovic is said to be another name on the club's radar.

However, Watford have allowed striker Rhys Healey to join Huddersfield Town, which could be damaging to Ipswich's hopes of landing Rajovic.

Huddersfield and Watford deal could impact Ipswich pursuit

Healey only joined the Hornets from French side Toulouse in the summer, and he scored two goals and provided one assist in 13 appearances for the club.

It is a surprise to see Watford sanction Healey's exit, particularly as he started in the 2-1 win at Queens Park Rangers on Sunday, but many of his minutes this season had come as a substitute, and the reported fee in the region of £2 million was too good to turn down for a player not in Valerien Ismael's long-term plans.

However, Healey's departure leaves Rajovic and Vakoun Bayo as the Hornets' only senior strikers, and with Ismael's side closing in on the play-off places, they will be reluctant to lose Rajovic this month.

Rajovic arrived at Vicarage Road from Kalmar FF in August, and he has enjoyed an excellent season so far, scoring nine goals in 25 appearances in all competitions.

It is easy to see why the Tractor Boys would be keen to bring Rajovic to Portman Road, and a move to Suffolk could be tempting for the 24-year-old with McKenna's men currently sitting in the automatic promotion places.

But after having two offers rejected for Gallagher, Ipswich could encounter similar frustration should they make an approach for Rajovic.

The Tractor Boys do have vast financial resources, and journalist Alan Nixon claims they could spend up to £3 million on a striker in January, as well as offering up to £15,000 per week in wages, but it is unlikely that Watford would consider any bids for Rajovic at this point.

Ipswich's attacking options are set to be further depleted with Freddie Ladapo closing in on a loan move to Charlton Athletic, and while Kayden Jackson has performed well up front in recent weeks, there is no doubt a new striker is desperately needed.