"I'd be absolutely gutted" - Ipswich Town handed mixed response as £7.5m Wrexham deal looms | OneFootball

Ipswich could lose Nathan Broadhead to Wrexham for £7.5 million, and while our fan pundit will be sad to see him go, he can see why they'd accept it.

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Amid a summer of change, Ipswich Town seem set to lose forward Nathan Broadhead, but while he'll be missed at Portman Road, the amount of money being offered for him may well be too high to turn down.

Ipswich Town's relegation from the end of the 2024-25 season has ushered in changes to the look of their first-team squad.

Liam Delap has already gone to Chelsea, while Omari Hutchinson also seems likely to stay in the Premier League next season, with Brentford particularly interested in acquiring his services.

Another attacking player who could be set to leave the club this summer is Nathan Broadhead, who's been subject to a £7.5 million bid from Wrexham, who themselves are strengthening ahead of their first season at this level since 1982.

Broadhead only has a year left to run on his contract with Ipswich, but this hasn't prevented the Red Dragons from making a big-money bid for the player, who is now in talks with them.

"One of my favourite players" - Nathan Broadhead will be missed at Portman Road

We spoke to FLW"s Ipswich Town fan pundit Adam Wilkin, who has mixed feelings about Broadhead's potential departure: "I'd be absolutely gutted to see Nathan Broadhead go. He's one of my favourite players to watch in a Town shirt. He was one of the players who came in during the January transfer window in the League One season that really helped us push that promotion over the line with his goal and assist contributions."

Adam is highly appreciative of the role that Broadhead played in the club's ascent from League One to the Premier League. "He was then a very good member of the Championship team", he told us: "I think he was unlucky not to play more games in the Premier League. He had a few niggling injury issues, but his performance against Bournemouth was excellent, as were some others, so Wrexham are definitely getting a quality player who can still excel at Championship level."

But at the same time, Adam also sees the positive sides to the move from the point of view of the club: "I think it's a sign of where we are as a squad that he is potentially our third choice attacking midfielder in that left-hand sided role. He played in that middle role in the Premier League, a central 10, so I thought he might be utilised there, but he doesn't seem to have been in pre-season and for someone with one year left on his contract who we signed for £1.5 million, it represents quite the profit. So, sad as I will be, I think it's a very good deal for the club and that amount of money is too hard to turn down."

£7.5 million is too good to turn down for a Championship player with a year left on his contract

While Nathan Broadhead's departure would be a loss to Ipswich Town, receiving £7.5 million for him would represent a remarkable piece of business for them, especially considering that he only has a year left to run on his Portman Road contract.

Broadhead arrived at the club in the January 2023 transfer window from Everton for £1.5 million, scoring eight goals and contributing six assists as Ipswich firmed up promotion from League One. He was a regular in their team which secured a second successive promotion the following year, but had a stop-start season in the Premier League, making only 18 appearances.

But popular though the 27-year-old is at Portman Road, the amount of money that Ipswich are being offered for him is head-turning. If Wrexham do pay £7.5 million for him, it would represent a five-fold return on Ipswich's original investment in the player. This is all the more remarkable when we consider that Broadhead only has a year to run on his current contract; transfer fees for such players are often deflated by the fact that they can leave for nothing in just a few months' time.

Wrexham clearly want Nathan Broadhead very much indeed, and while, coming on top of the departure of Liam Delap, his loss would leave a big hole in the Ipswich squad that would need patching up, £7.5 million for a third-choice player in his position is an amount of money that most clubs below the Premier League cannot afford to miss out on, and Ipswich are no exception.