Why Ipswich Town may be set for £8m Watford FC disappointment | OneFootball

Ipswich Town may well be set for transfer disappointment.

Ipswich Town may well be set for transfer disappointment with one of their targets looking towards continental Europe instead.

Serie A outfit Parma have a reported interest in Watford's Tom Dele-Bashiru, who has been linked to the Tractor Boys multiple times.

Ipswich Town set to miss out on Tom Dele-Bashiru

Ipswich were keen on the central midfielder in January, and have renewed their interest according to an exclusive report from Football League World.

Town inquired about the 25-year-old's services in the winter transfer window, but were put off by the lofty asking price. They have since revived their interest, hoping to seal a quick return to the Premier League.

Dele-Bashiru joined the Hornets in 2019, leaving the Manchester City youth ranks. Aside from a season-long loan spell at Reading, he has become a main feature of Watford's side.

He made 27 league appearances last season, battling back from a period on the treatment table with a notable knee injury.

He was capped at youth level for both England and Nigeria, and has gone on to play 79 times for Watford.

His season at Reading saw him make 39 appearances, during which he added seven goal involvements to his career tally.

Watford man could be swayed by top-flight appeal

While Ipswich have renewed their interest in Dele-Bashiru, they are not the only club seeking his signature. Parma, who are entering their second successive term in the Italian top-flight, have been linked to the Watford midfielder as well.

Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph posted on his X account that Parma "are in talks" with the midfielder, while Watford are open to a move away for him.

He added that the Hornets were exploring options, but would only allow him to leave for the right asking price, while it is believed Dele-Bashiru is keen to leave this summer.

There are two reasons why Dele-Bashiru could be swayed to head for Parma rather than Ipswich, with potentially higher wages and the chance to play in the top-flight ranking highly.

Parma finished 16th last season, after winning the Serie B title to secure promotion in the 2023/24 term. That led them five points and two places clear of the drop.

The chance to play in the top-flight of one of Europe's top five leagues cannot be underestimated, and could trump the proposed move that would see him remain in the Championship.

Some of the world's biggest teams play in Serie A, such as Juventus, reigning champions Napoli, and Champions League runner-ups Inter Milan. It could be difficult to turn down a chance to play against and at some of the most high-profile teams in Italy, when weighed up against remaining in the English second-tier.

That divisional difference between Ipswich and Parma could influence the amount of money Dele-Bashiru would be offered. Even though the Tractor Boys will benefit from parachute payments, a team in Italy's premier division could be free to offer a heftier wage to their new recruits this summer.

My no means does the deal appear done, but Ipswich could well be on their way to disappointment in the transfer market, with Parma flexing their Serie A muscles to try and poach Dele-Bashiru from the grasp of Kieran McKenn's side.