Ipswich Town transfer latest on Morgan Whittaker and Jack Taylor

Taylor is a player the Blues have been keen on since the summer and that interest remains in January, with contact understood to have been made with rivals Peterborough and a deal discussed. 

The 24-year-old is a player Ipswich would be keen to add to their squad between now and the end of the January transfer window, but it remains to be seen whether Posh will be willing to sell and where chairman Darragh MacAnthony sets the price. 

Ipswich Town retain an interest in Peterborough's Jack Taylor (Image: PA)

Whittaker has been one of the best performers in League One this season, scoring nine goals during a hugely positive loan at Plymouth from Championship side Swansea City. 

However, Swans manager Russell Martin has conceded the 21-year-old may be recalled this month, with Ipswich regularly discussed as a potential landing spot should he return to south Wales and then be moved on again. 

The attacker is a player Town are known have shown interest in, but it’s understood no move is active at this point. 

It’s understood Whittaker has a strong preference to remain at Home Park for the rest of the season and has made that clear to both his loan and parent clubs, as the table-topping Pilgrims bid to win promotion to the Championship.

Whittaker scored against Town for Plymouth in October (Image: Page Pix Ltd) 

Swansea have a narrow window to recall him inside the next couple of days, as part of the loan agreement, with the youngster unlikely to see much playing time should he return to the second-tier side. A decision could be made inside the next 24 hours.

A string of clubs are understood to have shown interest in him, should he be available again, including sides in the Championship and even clubs at the lower end of the Premier League table. 

Discussing Whittaker yesterday, Martin said: “The ownership group have an opinion on that (Whittaker’s future). Josh (Marsh, Swansea's head of football operations) and Julian (Winter, chief executive) have an opinion on that with Morgan. 

"It has to be imminent because the clause in the loan, or whatever it is, is imminent. I don't know where that's at at the minute, there has been a lot of conversation about it. 

"If he comes back he will be welcomed back into the group. He wants to play where he has been playing at Plymouth, which is probably the most competitive position on the pitch for us with Olivier Ntcham, Luke Cundle, Oli Cooper, Jay Fulton, Joel Piroe when he plays there. 

Manager states that Morgan Whittaker would be competing for one of the most contested positions should he return to Swansea. He refers to the owners seeing him as an ‘asset’ - suggests they may be looking to sell him.

Looks like we’ll find out very soon what is happening. #PAFC pic.twitter.com/B7zgfdLChh

— Nik Robshaw (@NikPAFC) January 2, 2023

"So I think it's a really tough position to get in, but if he does come back he comes back with the mentality that he wants to fight and get in the team, and then we will just have to take it from there. 

"I don't have a definitive answer for you on that and I'm sure I will get told in the next, well probably this evening I would have thought, and if not it will be tomorrow. 

"He has done brilliantly, really well. If he comes back hopefully he can build on that momentum and see where it takes him here. 

"He's our asset, he's the club asset and there is a bigger picture in terms of what Josh and Julian see in terms of his value, in terms of what he might be able to add here, and all that stuff. We will just have to wait and see. I'm quite relaxed about it either way." 

Town play Plymouth at Portman Road on January 14.

Whittaker is on loan at Plymouth from Swansea City, who have a recall clause

Discussing potential transfer business after yesterday's 1-1 draw at Lincoln, Town boss Kieran McKenna said: “We feel like we should be scoring more for the chances that we’re creating, so we need to be more clinical.

“We need to keep working with the players individually, we need to recruit well in the window to be more clinical with the chances we get and we need to keep working on our play as a team to create more chances.

“But the reality is that we are creating many more chances than any team in the league and we’re giving much fewer chances than any team in the league.

"We can sit here and poke and look at the faults but probably we’re doing that because we’ve lost points in really fine margins games.

“For sure, we’re going to look to add to the squad and improve the squad in the second half of the season. But, of course, the other teams will as well.

“Now we have 11 days or so with no (league) game. We’ll hopefully get some new players in the door, which will give us a boost and give ourselves the best chance of a good second half of the season.”

Asked if any deals were close to being done, McKenna said: "I need to catch up tomorrow with Mark (Ashton, CEO). I know it's not impossible. I know they are working really hard. I can't say either way.

"My focus has been on the three games this week. I'll now find out where we are with the players we are in for."