Nottingham Forest on the verge of striking £37.5m deal for Ipswich Town star | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest are in the process of finalising a fee of £37.5 million with Ipswich Town for Omari Hutchinson.

Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest are in the process of agreeing a £37.5m deal for talented winger Omari Hutchinson.

After requesting to be left out of the Tractor Boys' squad on Tuesday night in their EFL Cup defeat to Bromley, Omari Hutchinson has secured an opportunity to leave Portman Road this summer.

Ipswich boss, Kieran McKenna, told BBC Radio Suffolk about the former Arsenal and Chelsea youngster's request to leave the club, citing Hutchinson's desire to play in the Premier League.

The Northern Irishman said: "[Hutchinson has] made his desire to continue to play Premier League if the opportunity is there."

It seems like the 21-year-old has got his wish, and a move to the top-flight of English football is on the horizon for the England youth international.

Nottingham Forest set to agree fee for Ipswich Town star Omari Hutchinson

The Athletic's David Ornstein has revealed via X on Thursday evening that club-to-club talks between Ipswich and Nottingham Forest have reached an advanced stage that will see Hutchinson depart for the City Ground in a £37.5m deal.

This comes after the Tractor Boys rejected Forest's proposal of £35 million, as reported by Ornstein himself.

Personal terms are said to be no problem for Hutchinson, with the deal to be agreed subject to final decisions from both sides.

Forest have broken their transfer record already this window having secured a £35m deal for Dan Ndoye, and now look set to smash it once again with Hutchinson.

The highly-rated and versatile attacker initially joined Ipswich on loan from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, with his 10 goals and five assists in 44 Championship appearances playing a key role in helping the club win promotion to the Premier League.

The Suffolk outfit would then make his Portman Road stay a permanent one last summer for £20m, and whilst he did feature 31 times in the top-flight for McKenna's side last term, he was only able to grab three goals and two assists, and couldn't prevent the club from slipping back into the second tier.

The fee may be agreed, but other options remain for both parties

Despite Ornstein's suggestion that a fee of £37.5m is nearing agreement between the two clubs, both the player and Forest have other options available to them, according to his report.

The Premier League club have also agreed a fee of £30m for Manchester City attacking midfielder James McAtee, according to Telegraph reporter John Percy, so options certainly remain for Forest, who are trying to strengthen in attacking areas.

Forest are also said to be weighing up completing a move for Rennes forward Arnaud Kalimuendo, with talks taking place over a deal for around £26 million, whilst Adama Traore is another attacking player on the club's radar.

Options are also open for the 21-year-old, with Everton said to be interested in securing Hutchinson's signature, according to BBC reporter Giulia Bould.

Should this deal go through, however, Ipswich will be armed with a significant amount of cash to potentially make some big additions between now and the 1 September transfer deadline.