Town’s continued monitoring of Peterborough striker Craig Mackail-Smith has led to a number of this morning’s newspapers linking the Blues with a £2 million summer move for the 27-year-old. On Friday, TWTD reported that chief scout Steve McCall was at Posh’s 2-1 defeat at Leyton Orient, while manager Paul Jewell has also watched the Scotland international frontman in action.

The one-time St Albans Town, Arlesey Town and Dagenham and Redbridge striker was close to joining Norwich in March and looks certain to leave London Road in the summer having rejected a new contract. The 5ft 8in tall goal-getter’s current terms are up in the summer of 2012.

Watford-born Mackail-Smith has scored 31 goals this season, earning his first and so far only international cap for the country of his grandmother’s birth in a 2-0 defeat to Brazil in March. Previously he had played for England C, the non-league national side.

Town and the Canaries are unlikely to be the only clubs interested in the man who was recently named this season's League One Player of the Year.

Photo: Action Images

Karlosfandangal added 11:26 - Apr 27 Rhodes scored goals in the reserves but has yet to prove he will score them in the Championship. Rhodes going to Huddlesfield may have made him a better player as he is getting regular football week in week out, It will be intresting to see if Austin can make the set up. Rhodes would be a gamble or do we go for the Makill- Smith, Maynard, Sharp type player who have proved they can score at this level. On the other hand Scotland proved he can score at this level, but just not with us.

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broomfield123 added 11:27 - Apr 27 nearly50years i do agree about harping on about history.Lets move on. Am i correct in saying that Billy Sharp went to Sheff Utd and was a flop. Just a possible point and if this was the case the a possible question mark over spending some sort of serious money on him
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Superfrans added 11:28 - Apr 27 Suffolkblue88 - don't be put off by his age. Marcus Stewart was 28 when he came to us, Grant Holt was 28 when he was signed by Nodge. If he's learned his craft at a lower level, that can be a good thing.
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whymarksmyhero added 11:30 - Apr 27 Would like to see Billy Sharp personally, but wouldn't be disappointed to see Mackail-Smith. Just wanna see the back of Scotland, we need him to hold the ball up until support arrives but the ball just keeps on bouncing off him, like he's a brick wall. Makes me wanna shout "Bring on the wall!", a la Dale Winton every time the ball goes near him ! We do however need to get the ball forward quicker as Naarch did against us, it seems that every time one of our midfielders finds himself with an opponent in front of him he thinks "oooh, bugger, better pass it backwards or sideways !!" Optomistic about next year all the same !! COYB !

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KindofBlue added 11:33 - Apr 27 Mackail-Smith could be a good shout. Looking at the leading scorers in the Championship, Sharp is the only one realistically we could bid for and I'm never sure about Prem players dropping down. Who was it who once said - never sign players who think they are doing you a favour
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PunchNoHopers added 11:37 - Apr 27 Good as he might be, I'm sure it would be more attractive for him to go to Norwich and play at least one year in the Prem!
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ldnj added 11:44 - Apr 27 Just as an aside, Rhodes would be relatively cheap in that I assume there is a sell-on clause which clearly would not have to be paid so the fee is effectively cheaper than for any other club. If there's no sell-on then what were they doing ...
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East_of_England added 11:52 - Apr 27 We have been notoriously unsuccessful in attempts to sign strikers from the lower divisions, which also can be regarded as relatively safe investments. Maynard, Pitman, Austin, Hooper, Simeon Jackson to name a few only in recent years. I'm not too optimistic...
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Dolly2.0 added 12:07 - Apr 27 I hate people like StowTractorBoy spreading lies. Phil has reiterated time and again that Rhodes didn't want to leave and yet still this silly rumour persists. Do I remember correctly that Keane even admitted it was a mistake to let him go, with hindsight?
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pazelle added 12:07 - Apr 27 £2 million for an untested 27 year old? Forget about domestic targets, scout Europe! We can't compete for good domestic players were about as appealing as Coventry! Foreign players don't know this get them!
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havinit69 added 12:08 - Apr 27 StowTractor - So your theory for prefering Billy Sharp is that "he has proven he can score goals at this level" Hadn't Jason Scotland Proven that with Swansea, Tamas with Watford, Lisbie with Colchester... Need i go on ?
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Garv added 12:18 - Apr 27 Sharp/Mackail Smith and Lambert would be the two for me, or all three (unlikely).
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casanovacrow added 12:18 - Apr 27 Bring Back Rhodes, Sign up Billy Sharp, poach Darius Henderson from Sheffield Utd on the cheap when they are finally burried and get in LeFondre for next to peanuts (1yr left on his contract and wont extend)...then we will have plenty of striking options. All this Cox, Vaughn, Mackail-Smith stuff isn't impressing me. Cant see any of them getting 15 a season at this level let alone the 20-25 Jewell wants

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whoppit added 12:21 - Apr 27 The summer transfer gossip seems to come earlier every year. Lets hope most of it is true as a lot of the current crop seem to have no desire or determination to do well for us. Absolutely disgraceful week !!!!!
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Ipswich24 added 12:22 - Apr 27 I think we need to go same way as the scum big strong man who got good touch and good in the air and can then distract defenders from a quick nippy goal getter who can get in behind. So a Rickie Lambert + Nicky Maynard or a Shefki Kuqi + Billy Sharp I would love Mackail-Smith to play in the hole behind front two
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Mark added 12:37 - Apr 27 Mackail-Smith is one of a number of exciting strikers in the lower leagues. At least we know under Jewell that these sort of players will be considered, compared with Keane who didn't appear to know that Leagues 1 and 2 existed. Signing lower league and overseas players who are hungry to do well, alongside our own youth development, has to be the way to get Ipswich back into the Premier League. If we can afford it we should bring in three new strikers this summer and get rid of Priskin and Scotland.

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cats_whiskers added 12:48 - Apr 27 I heard some inside info on Rhodes, and it was Keane who dispensed with him and NOT the player wanting to go or his fathers influence... So the Irishman was to blame. I would also agree with AFFC, why don't we look at the German and Dutch players as they usually manage to adapt to the English game and probably wouldn't cost as much either, Mackail-Smith would cut it at this level, but Barry Fry won't give him away cheaply that's why Norwich didn't get him.... They couldn't stump up the cash

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dan_itfc55 added 12:51 - Apr 27 worth a punt! CMS and Vaughan upfront... sounds a lot better than a lone stricking force of jason 'the barrell' sctoland
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itfc4eva added 12:58 - Apr 27 he can score twenty goals in a season but i dont think that he would be good enough for us sadly especially as we are going 4 promotion,
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8ashblue added 13:01 - Apr 27 I go for M-S and expect PJ to get his man. He was also keen on Sharp so hope he joins. i'd agree that he shouldnt waste time on fallen stars from the Prem unless they can be really committed like Jimmy has been. I doubt he'll sign for us anyway but you never know! Best bet is to look to Holland and Germany to build up squad, their players would adapt more easily.
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simonsays added 13:07 - Apr 27 2 million for a league 1 striker! Hmmmm seems like a waste of more cash to me.
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tractaboy added 13:11 - Apr 27 Didn't Norwich already have a 2 or 3 million bid accepted by Posh? Would be good here and would like to see Boyd come too. Davies is out of contract in the summer and so I hear is Nugent. Some good striking talent about for not much in the summer. I think Lambert will come up with Southampton.
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tractaboy added 13:12 - Apr 27 Didn't Norwich already have a 2 or 3 million bid accepted by Posh? Would be good here and would like to see Boyd come too. Davies is out of contract in the summer and so I hear is Nugent. Some good striking talent about for not much in the summer. I think Lambert will come up with Southampton.
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Help added 13:12 - Apr 27 CMS will not go to Norwich because NC have already said they where not to be held to ransome by Posh continually increasing the price of the player. i thought i read in jan that NC had gone to £3M and it was still declined.
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Barhamblue added 13:13 - Apr 27 This fella is good, first choice should be Billy sharp though. The two of them would do. :-)
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