Former Blues loanee Jimmy Bullard says he would be a “very happy man” if a deal could be done to facilitate his return to Portman Road. The one-time England man began pre-season training with Hull City this week but with a move away from the KC Stadium looking all but certain this summer.
Hull are desperate to offload the 32-year-old, who has two years remaining on his £45,000-a-week contract, which makes up 21% of their wage bill.
The midfielder, who was named the Blues’ Player of the Year after a hugely successful loan spell in the second half of last season, was recently reported to be in talks with Hull regarding a settlement of his contract. The Tigers are as yet unwilling to talk about a further loan, preferring to get the £5 million signing from Fulham's future sorted once and for all.
Town boss Paul Jewell had ruled the Blues out of the running for his former Wigan player’s signature but, as TWTD reported last week, the large fee received from Sunderland for Connor Wickham will have made a potential deal more achievable.
Bullard, who is understood to have held talks with QPR earlier in the summer, says his future is still very much up in the air: "I’ve not really thought about things too much yet. I’ve been away for six or seven weeks and now I’m back in training with Hull.
"At the end of the day I’m still contracted to them and I’d be more than happy to play for them next season.
"If they turn around and say they don’t want me to play for money reasons then we’ll have to see what happens.
"I loved every single minute of my time at Ipswich last season and made some wicked friends. If there was some way I could sort out a move there I would be a very happy man.”
Meanwhile, the Town squad continue to report that pre-season training is hard work, young keeper Cody Cropper tweeting this morning: "Absolutely wrecked! But can't wait for day six of pre-season, as long as it’s not the same thing as we did on Monday!”