Town striker Connor Wickham’s new contract at Portman Road is reported to include a clause which would see him leave Portman Road if the Blues receive a bid of a specified size. Tottenham are said to have first refusal on the 17-year-old with Town owner and chairman Marcus Evans reported to have held talks with his Spurs counterparts regarding a potential future move.
Wickham, who is 18 at the end of March, signed a new deal last month which extended his Town contract until the summer of 2013. However, it is believed the new terms include a provision that if the Blues receive an offer at a set level — probably somewhere between £10 million and £15 million — the England U21 international can move on.
The Blues frontman watched Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona last night and the Gunners have also been chasing the Hereford-born player, along with Liverpool, Newcastle and a host of other Premier League clubs.
But Tottenham have long been believed to be the frontrunners for Wickham's signature with former Town coach Bryan Klug and Jim Magilton's one-time management consultant Charlie Woods both now working at White Hart Lane.
Speaking this morning, Town boss Paul Jewell reiterated that he would like to keep hold of Tuesday’s hat-trick scorer for as long as possible: "I get asked about Connor Wickham almost every day. Connor’s got huge potential and he’s got all the tools of the trade to be a top player, and hopefully that will be at Ipswich.”