Stoke City central defender Ryan Shawcross is reported to be the central defender the Blues are hoping to take on loan next week. Town are looking to bring in another defender and a left midfielder on an emergency loan basis before next week's game with Reading.
Shawcross looks to have dropped out of the first team picture at the Britannia Stadium with the Potters signing Ibrahima Sonko, Danny Higginbotham and Andrew Davies during the summer.
The 20-year-old joined Stoke from Manchester United for £1 million in January after spending the first six months of last season on loan with Tony Pulis's club.
Previously, the once-capped England U21 international had been on loan at Royal Antwerp, like so many Manchester United youngsters, the clubs having a long-standing arrangement.
Meanwhile, chief executive Derek Bowden says Town boss Jim Magilton will be given time to mould his side into a promotion-winning team: "Jim has not been given a specific time at all. We know what we want and that is for the club to win promotion and once we are in the Premier League, for us to stay there.
"There is no time constraint on Jim as he has an open brief to get the club promoted.â€Â
Bowden denied a claim yesterday that the club is actively sounding out potential new managers, says there are no plans to introduce the controversial sporting director role at Portman Road and confirmed that no formal bid was received for Jon Walters, despite interest from Premier League sides.
Even as late as this weekend the club was receiving enquiries, but Bowden says none of these were ever put in writing: "We never had a firm offer from Jon in writing.
"There was an enquiry on the Saturday, which we declined, and there was speculation that they would come in again on Sunday but there was no call.
"We have had another on deadline day but even if it had been a written offer it would have been declined because he was not for sale.â€Â
Town's Spanish pair Pablo Couñago and Iván Campo have been given permission to return to their home country this week, while boss Jim Magilton is back in Northern Ireland to cover their international game for the BBC.