Boss Mick McCarthy says he won’t stand in Aaron Cresswell’s way if Premier League clubs come calling and make Town the right offer this summer. The Blues manager has repeatedly stated his view that Cresswell is the best left-back in the Championship.
"Cressy might go because there will be people interested in him,” McCarthy admitted. "And I’m not one of those that’s going to say ‘He’s not going anywhere’ because that’s bullshit because he deserves to play there, and if it’s the right offer we’ll have to talk to him about it.
"What I don’t want to do is lose his heart and mind by denying him the opportunity to go. And we’ve got a great replacement in Tyrone Mings.
"We’ve got Ando, we’ve got Tabby, we’ve got Luke Hyam, Woody, Skusey, Didz, Murph and Frank Nouble.
"If they all come back [for pre-season], it’s probably the team which started at the beginning of the season. We’ve got the nucleus of that solid team which has been so good this season, and then we’ll have to add to it.”
Scouts from Newcastle United, Southampton and West Brom were at the recent 2-2 home draw with AFC Bournemouth again running the rule over Cresswell, who was recently named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.
The trio are amongst several Premier League clubs to have watched the 24-year-old in action on numerous occasions this season with the Magpies and Saints both subsequently reported to be ready to firm up their interest with summer bids claimed to be in the region of £4 million.
Fulham have also been regular visitors to Portman Road, while Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Cardiff, West Ham, Hull City and Everton have all been linked at one time or another. Aston Villa made an enquiry in the summer of 2012.
Cresswell, currently joint-top of the Championship assists table with 13 along with Nottingham Forest’s Andy Reid, signed a new Town contract until the summer of 2017 in December having been linked with a move to the top flight during the last four transfer windows.
If the Liverpudlian were to move on this time around his former club Tranmere Rovers would be entitled to 20 per cent of the profit the Blues would make on the £420,000 they paid for him after his switch to Portman Road in the summer of 2011.
A Football League tribunal set a compensation figure of an initial £240,000 plus milestone clauses, with only a £100,000 payment on promotion to the Premier League not triggered.
With Town adhering strictly to the Financial Fair Play rules, McCarthy is unlikely to have much of a transfer war chest at his disposal this summer unless a current player is sold for a significant fee.