Town boss Joe Royle is reported to be ready to show the exit door to a couple more of his existing squad as he begins the job of rebuilding for next season.

Royle has been unable to bring in players since he came to the club due to financial constraints and administration. The end of May is likely to see the club come out of administration with the transfer ban lifted soon after.

Out of contract defender Mark Venus will probably to be on his way and was recently spotted watching a Colchester United game. Venus has spent most of this season on the sidelines after a knee operation.

Jim Magilton is likely to move back to the north-west if an offer comes in, although he will be offered a deal with Town. The Northern Irishman's wife is keen to return to her Merseyside home. Magilton started his career at Liverpool.

Fabian Wilnis and Richard Naylor will be offered contracts probably on terms worth less than their deals which are up in June. Neither player signed a new contract during Town's Premiership years and are therefore hardly amongst the higher paid players.

Alun Armstrong has already been told he can leave Portman Road if an offer comes in while Nabil Abidallah is set for a trial with Swiss side FC Thun.

Royle told TWTD a few weeks back that he has drawn up lists of players he will look to sign over the summer. Reports this morning unsurprisingly suggest that a large section of those lists are made up of centre-halves, although he has denied a story linking the Blues with Boro player Tony Vidmar.

The Town boss is keen for his side to gain a victory on Saturday to end the season at least finishing above Norwich City: "If we can't finish sixth then I want us to finish seventh. I know how much it means to the supporters to finish higher than Norwich and that would be great for them but equally I want us to finish as high as possible."

Fabian Wilnis is a doubt with a knee problem while Tommy Miller is not over the calf injury he picked up at Rotherham.

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls