Ipswich Town and Bristol City eyeing 8-goal Southampton transfer target | OneFootball

Ipswich Town and Bristol City are both interested in signing Maximillian Entrup this January.

According to Florian Plettenberg, the Championship pair are eyeing a move for the 26-year-old before the winter market shuts next week.

Clubs have until 1 February to get any deals over the line, meaning time is running out on completing this move.

The Austrian was previously linked with a move to Southampton, with the second-division sides also facing competition from the likes of German sides Holstein Kiel and Schalke.

Ipswich and Bristol City are both looking to improve their squads, with the Tractor Boys aiming to fight for automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Maximilian Entrup transfer latest

Entrup has already agreed terms over a move with 2 Bundesliga outfit Holstein Kiel, but no deal has been reached with his club TSV Hartberg.

It is believed that the Austrian club are aiming to earn €1 million (£860,000) from his potential sale this month.

While Schalke are also interested in the forward, it is understood that they are waiting until the summer before making a potential swoop for the Austria international.

Meanwhile, both Ipswich and Bristol City see the striker as someone who can arrive this month and make a difference to their current Championship campaign.

Entrup’s aim for the second half of the season is to fight for a place in Ralf Rangnick’s side ahead of the European Championship in Germany this summer.

That means consistent game time is likely to be a major demand in any potential negotiations.

Maximillian Entrup's importance to Hartberg

Entrup has made 12 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga so far this term, contributing eight goals and two assists.

The forward only joined TSV Hartberg last summer, signing from Marchfeld Donauauen.

The side sits fourth in the table, 10 points behind league leaders RB Salzburg after 17 games.

Hartberg will be aiming to fight for European qualification this season.

Ipswich Town and Bristol City league position

Ipswich are currently second in the Championship table, seven points adrift of the league leaders Leicester City.

A 1-1 draw between the two sides on Monday evening moved Kieran McKenna’s side back into the top two, having fallen to third earlier that weekend due to an inferior goal difference to Southampton.

The Suffolk outfit are aiming to earn back-to-back promotions, having come up from League One in the previous campaign.

Further down the table, Liam Manning’s City side sit 13th in the second division but still hold hopes of battling back into the play-off places.

Entrup’s stance is clear

If Ipswich or Bristol City want to win the race to sign the 26-year-old then it is clear what is needed.

A fee of €1 million (£860,000) is a reasonable fee for either club if this is a target they feel they need for the second half of the season.

If they can offer him the regular game time he wants, then this should be a relatively easy agreement to reach.

However, time is running out on completing a deal and Holstein Kiel’s advantage in the race indicates they would want to get moving sooner rather than later.