West Brom continue to be linked with Town left-back Aaron Cresswell in the Midlands press. The Baggies, who recently appointed Alan Irvine as their manager, were amongst the clubs to watch the 24-year-old on a regular basis during 2013/14.

According to the Birmingham Mail Cresswell is one of the Baggies’ major summer targets and they are “ready to test Ipswich’s resolve during the coming weeks” as they look to strengthen both full-back positions.

While Albion had been keeping an eye on Cresswell and were watching him prior to his summer of 2011 move to Town, it had been understood that their interest had cooled and that they are now looking elsewhere for additions with Fulham’s Kieran Richardson and Norwich’s Martin Olsson also recently linked.

Earlier in the summer Southampton, who last week sold 18-year-old England left-back Luke Shaw to Manchester United, were believed to be the most interested of the numerous Premier League sides who had kept tabs on Cresswell. However, that situation may have changed with Ronald Koeman having taken over as manager following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure for Spurs.

If Cresswell, who is contracted to Town until the summer of 2017, were to move on this summer his former club Tranmere Rovers would be entitled to 20 per cent of the profit the Blues would make on the £420,000 they paid for him.

A Football League tribunal set a compensation figure of an initial £240,000 plus milestone clauses, with only a £100,000 payment on promotion to the Premier League not triggered.

With Town adhering strictly to the Financial Fair Play rules, McCarthy is unlikely to have much of a transfer war chest at his disposal unless a current player is sold for a significant fee.

The Blues boss is set to speak to the press prior to the start of pre-season training proper at Playford Road this morning.

Elsewhere, former Town skipper Terry Butcher is reported to be amongst the candidates keen on taking over as head coach of Tommy Smith's New Zealand, following his recent departure from Hibs.

Photo: Action Images

essexboy added 09:33 - Jun 30 Just hurry up and get it sorted one way or another.!!
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SouperJim added 09:45 - Jun 30 Wake me up when a bid has been made
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skhall added 10:00 - Jun 30 He has been possibly the only real quality player that we have had at the club over the last few years. I wouldn't begrudge him of a Premier League move but I would love him to stay!
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skhall added 10:00 - Jun 30 Contracted to the club that is. Not including loan signings
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Kesgraveblue57 added 10:01 - Jun 30 Remember this saga went on best part of last year, as the song says" here we go again"
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jas0999 added 10:01 - Jun 30 This needs to be sorted sooner rather than later. If mick has been promised cash from any sale, then he needs to sign players so they can bed in prior to the big kick off. Also, need to plan for life without Cresswell, which would presumably mean Mings starting pre season games. It does seem inevitable that Cresswell will move on. Hopefully for a decent fee.
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oldelsworthyfan added 11:03 - Jun 30 Talk, talk, talk. I can't see what MM can do until/unless he receives an offer! If Cressy does go, at least (in Mings) we have a reasonable replacement who will grow in the role with regular first team football. Maybe an offer will come in for Smith? If both these excellent players were to leave, in 20014/15 we could end up with a defence that leaked fewer goals than last season. (Or more!) A dilemma for MM!

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Lightningboy added 11:03 - Jun 30 Well if Luke Shaw is worth £33m then surely Cresswell must be 7 or 8m considering he's widely accepted as the best left back outside the prem? Hope we don't let him go for peanuts.
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bluemagic74 added 11:24 - Jun 30 If he does go whats the betting he goes right at last minute when it will be to late to use any of the funds.
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Bown added 11:25 - Jun 30 has mick just signed a 3 year contract phil or anyone??
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JustSpivvyChops added 11:29 - Jun 30 I know this about Cresswell, but I simply can't begin to conceive what it must be like for an 18 year old to be on £100k a week for 4 years (That's £20,800,000) and a £31million move of which he would have pocketed 10% to 12.5% as a lump sum and that's just basic salary, not including sponsorships, bonuses etc etc etc etc........fookin unbelievable............WTF is going on in football, i'm sorry but it's simply unacceptable for people to be earning this sort of money, when millions are suffering hardship around the Country......a wage cap is long, long, long, long, long overdue and I for one am pretty fed up with the ludicrous money being banded about for people to kick a ball.

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Mark added 12:33 - Jun 30 “ready to test Ipswich's resolve during the coming weeks” What "resolve"? We have been trying to talk him out of the door over recent weeks haven't we? It seems that way. As for the money in football, no wonder the England team struggles when teenagers are paid so much by Premier League teams (often to sit on the bench).
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MathieandMarshall added 12:37 - Jun 30 JustSpivvyChops - while I agree that the salaries in football are crazy unfortunately the money is there within the game! if the players salaries were capped the owners would simply be making bucket loads of cash. At least this way the "workers" on the shop floor take home the money rather than those sat up in the board room. Imagine if that applied elsewhere in the world! - nurses being paid bigger salaries than the Hospital bosses. Just a thought - but you are of course right, No body should be earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a week!

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RaymondovicBlue added 15:04 - Jun 30 A bit off subject - but surely, the words "being paid" are FAR more appropriate than "earning" when we talk about footballers' wages .... How can you say you "earn" £100,000 per week by playing the game you love? Whether they can or should be paid that much is a different debate altogether and in a sense one that we best avoid .. because our views change nothing!

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RaymondovicBlue added 15:07 - Jun 30 Back on subject - I agree that if Shaw can be sold for so much .... then Aaron could and should fetch us a good few £Mill to spend - I do NOT want to see him go - but if (IF) he is going, then he needs to go soon and the money given to Mick to spend on a creative midfielder who will rip opponents apart. OR - keep him, stop the speculation, and play him at left Midfield !

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TheSelkirk added 17:02 - Jun 30 If he goes, I wish him well, though I agree with others here that it would be good to get it sorted once and for all. Been going on for far too long now. There was a time when the talent gap between Mings and Cresswell would have been pretty wide but, after last season, I'm not overly concerned if Tyrone steps in. He has talent for sure and, with good management, I think he can do well for us.

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MitchtheITFCman added 22:34 - Jun 30 Keep him, put him left wing and play mings left back
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