Ipswich Town are 'in the race' for AFC Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The transfer expert has claimed that the 26-year-old will be allowed to leave the Vitality Stadium this summer - either on loan or a permanent move - with Serie A outfit Torino and Belgian side Anderlecht both keen on acquiring his services.
The centre-back started his youth career at Chelsea before switching to Brentford, making 43 appearances for the Bees in two Championship seasons between 2017 and 2019.
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He subsequently earned a move to Bournemouth, who signed him for an undisclosed fee reported to be in the region of £12 million back in January 2019. He's since featured 121 times for the Cherries in all competitions, although he only made 10 Premier League appearances last season, four of which came off the bench.
A right-footed centre-back, Mepham stands at 6'4" and has earned 46 caps for Wales at senior level.
Alex's verdict
This ticks most of the boxes needed for an Ipswich signing. He's the right age and a tall, physical player with Premier League experience. He was once held in high regard but has failed to kick on at Bournemouth in recent seasons, so it's not a huge surprise to see him being linked with a move away.
Some will see it as a poor move, picking up unwanted players from a Premier League rival, but these are the kinds of moves which often end up being a shrewd bit of business, especially if Mark Ashton is able to negotiate a loan or a low transfer fee.
Do the Blues need another right-sided centre-back? Luke Woolfenden and Axel Tuanzebe look set to battle it out on that side, but perhaps Kieran McKenna sees Mepham as the right kind of defender to partner Jacob Greaves. It would certainly limit George Edmundson's game time and push him nearer to the exit.
At one point, it seemed like Town were done with defensive reinforcements, but links to Joe Rodon and now Mepham indicate that they want one more before the window shuts.
As a Welsh international, you'd imagine that Nathan Broadhead, Wes Burns and even Kieffer Moore wouldn't have a hard time of convincing him to move to Suffolk.
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