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Best Could Get Deal as McCarthy Closes in On Another Target - Ipswich Town News

Town boss Mick McCarthy says there is a potential deal on the cards for trialist striker Leon Best and that he is edging closer to making another addition to his squad.

Former Rotherham and Newcastle frontman Best, 29, scored for the Blues U23s in Monday’s 3-2 defeat to Birmingham.

"I thought he did fine in the U23s game,” McCarthy said. "He scored a really good goal and he’s trained with us today and he’ll train with us tomorrow.

"There is a potential deal on the cards for him. He brings something different and bear in mind we’ve got two or three international breaks where Murph will be away and there’s the potential for him to come back with a stress or a strain.

"We’ve got Didz out until November, probably 12 weeks, 10 to 12 weeks, so a bit of extra fire power won’t do us any harm.”

McCarthy says he is likely to make at least one further addition to his squad before the transfer window closes next Wednesday, probably a loanee.

"There is but it is kind of dependent on other things falling a little bit. But we’re getting closer and closer, I think,” he said.

McCarthy admitted that he looked at West Ham winger Martin Samuelsen, who joined Blackburn on loan this morning, but says another still-ongoing target has been of more serious interest.

"There were a number of players that we’ve been looking at,” he added. "I’ve got somebody else I’m looking at.

"I like Martin, I saw him play the other night, but I do think that we’ve got enough young ‘uns in the team.

"We’ve got some of ours, like Bish, who is still very young, Dozzer is still very young and the Championship is a brutal league, to be honest with you.

"A bit of Championship experience would be my preference. So we never really got to that stage and there were a lot of clubs that were looking at him.”

McCarthy, who revealed he isn't targeting goalkeepers, central defenders or central midfield players, refused to comment on links with Newcastle striker Adam Armstrong: "If I sign anybody you’ll get notified.”

The Town boss has made defender Piotr Malarczyk, midfielder Giles Coke and winger Cameron Stewart available for transfer but says there’s been no movement so far.

"They’re all still here, but this next week is going to be fun, I think, because there are going to be a lot of players who are going to be at clubs and not get games. And clubs can’t take them after next Wednesday.”

He added: "I think there’ll be players who will be prepared to go out and play somewhere. I’m not on about my players but players at other clubs where maybe what they would like is one thing but what they can get is a totally different thing.

"But what they can get is football, and when they tell you their job title it’s footballer - go and play football.”

McCarthy says there could be interest in his younger fringe players from clubs in the lower leagues before the window closes.

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