Ipswich Town expected to fail with mega-money Kieran McKenna contract move | OneFootball

The Tractor Boys have enjoyed remarkable success since McKenna was appointed, with the former Man Utd coach guiding the club to promotion from League One in his first full season at the club.

They followed that up with another promotion this season, as Ipswich defied the odds to finish second in the Championship, having racked up a hugely impressive 96 points.

Therefore, even though the Suffolk side are back in the Premier League, there are major doubts about McKenna’s future, as his work has attracted a lot of attention from elsewhere.

Ipswich Town make new contract offer to Kieran McKenna

It has been claimed that Brighton and Chelsea, who are both without a manager, have earmarked McKenna as a potential option, whilst it’s thought he could be a candidate for the Red Devils if Erik ten Hag leaves this summer.

Yet, Ipswich won’t let McKenna leave without a fight, and The Sun has revealed that they have tabled a massive new offer to the 38-year-old in a bid to keep him at the club, with Brighton set to firm up their interest with an official approach.

“Ipswich have offered Kieran McKenna a blockbuster new contract to try and keep him at Portman Road.

“Manchester United, Chelsea and Brighton have all made tentative enquiries over hot-property McKenna who has led Ipswich to back-to-back promotions.

“The Suffolk club’s desperate board are fighting hard to keep the highly-rated Northern Ireland coach and are offering him a stunning new contract worth £5million-a-year over the next four seasons.

Kieran McKenna set to reject new Ipswich Town deal

Yet, in a further update, the BBC stated that McKenna is expected to reject any new offer, as he weighs up his options.

"Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna is likely to reject any new deal amid interest from Chelsea and Brighton. McKenna – who is contracted to Ipswich until 2027 - is ambitious and is understood to be keen to take the next step in his career.

"Talks with Ipswich are likely to take place this week and the Tractor Boys are expected to offer McKenna a new deal to convince him to stay at Portman Road. BBC Sport understands that is expected to fail with the manager, and assistant Martyn Pert, feeling the time is right to move.

"Chelsea are believed to be in pole position, despite Brighton’s interest, with United’s situation adding to the complexities as they are yet to confirm what will happen with Ten Hag. Any club will need to pay at least £4m compensation to take McKenna and Pert."

Ipswich Town’s summer plans

It’s no surprise that Ipswich are doing all they can to keep McKenna, because he has already made himself a modern-day legend at the club with the outstanding work that he has done.

Of course, it would be a real blow to lose him, but the fans will appreciate that the board are doing as much as possible to convince him to stay, and the money on the table is a massive amount for a club like Ipswich.

For Ipswich, they will want a resolution as quickly as possible, as the club are gearing up for a massive season in the top-flight, and a lot of work needs to be done to the squad to ensure they’re competitive.

Therefore, if McKenna does depart, which now seems probable, they will have to get a replacement in swiftly, and then get to work on bringing in new players, with the new head coach set to have a say in who is brought in.