Former Blue Kieron Dyer is being linked with a January loan return to the Blues. Dyer, 29, said over the weekend that he is hoping to be back in action by Christmas after a long spell out with a broken leg.
Dyer was spotted with reserves coach Chris Kiwomya in the directors' box at Town's game with Sheffield United on Saturday â€" although his presence at Portman Road is nothing unusual - and boss Jim Magilton is known to be an admirer of his former team-mate.
The England midfielder says he is finally looking forward to playing again after a year out: "It will be great to get that first game under my belt. I'm not going to say I'm going to be thrown straight back into the first team. Ideally I will have three or four preparation games and then be ready, perhaps for the Christmas period.
"Every day I feel sharper and I do believe now I need to make up for lost time. My 30th birthday is coming up later this month and some players start to look toward the end of their careers when they reach that milestone. With the amount of football I've missed though, I feel I have a good five years still left in me."
The former Newcastle midfielder said in 2005 that he would like a return to the Blues at some stage: "I'm only 26, but, when I play for my final club, I want it to be Ipswich Town. They got me started and I owe them a lot. It's still home to me."
However, with cash-strapped West Ham expected to sell a large number of players in January, it remains to be seen whether they would be willing to loan out a highly paid member of their squad just as he is returning to full fitness after a lengthy absence.