Town keeper Bartosz Bialkowski’s move to Millwall is off due to a complication relating to the Polish international’s medical.
The 31-year-old travelled to South London to talk terms and undergo his medical on Thursday with the clubs having agreed a fee understood to be in the region of £1 million.
However, a complication emerged during the medical relating to Bialkowski’s knee which led the Lions to try to renegotiate the terms of the deal, something Town, believing the matter not to be a significant risk, were unwilling to do and they pulled the plug on the move.
"We agreed a substantial fee with Ipswich for Bart,” Millwall manager Neil Harris told The South London Press.
"Bart was in my office — paperwork was signed and agreed, terms were agreed with the player. He is fantastic character, a real nice lad.
"Everything was okay with Ipswich and there was a complication with the medical, which has led to complications with the deal. As we stand at the moment, the deal is off.”
Bialkowski, who underwent an ACL operation in February 2006 during his time with Southampton, has been a regular throughout his time with the Blues and before that with Notts County and has missed very few games due to injury in that time.
He has made 177 starts and one sub appearance for Town in the five seasons since signing from the Magpies on a free transfer in the summer of 2014.
The keeper was back at Playford Road for the start of pre-season training yesterday and was again present this morning.
Asked whether it was possible Bialkowski could still be with Town at the start of the season, prior to the news relating to his medical being made public, manager Paul Lambert said: "Absolutely, there’s a massive chance, a huge chance and I’ve never thought anything else, it never really worried me what was going on.
"We had a chat at the end of the season, he’s a good guy, no problem. He played fantastically well against Leeds, so I never had any problem with anything, so I never worried about it.
"Until somebody says to me there’s a massive amount of money or whatever it is [he’s a Town player].”
Quizzed on the situation as it stood at the end of the week with the move to Millwall apparently imminent, he added: "I just came back not that long ago and I had a chat with him yesterday. I know Millwall were interested and everything that’s gone on but other than that I don’t know.
"He’s our player, he’s training with us this morning, so unless he’s got a body double I’m sure it’s Bart that’s here.”
Lambert denied that Bialkowski moving on this summer is something of an inevitability.
"No, not really," he insisted. "You only move if the club lets you move. It doesn’t matter if you say he’s a player who wants to move, it doesn’t matter because the club has the hold.
"Bart’s been great, I had a chat with him yesterday, and he was fine, not a problem, he’s focused, and he’s our player, and if Bart or any player leaves here come the next few weeks, then they do their best for the football club and Bart falls into that category."
If Bialkowski does move on - via a revival of the Millwall deal or elsewhere - has the Blues boss got a target lined up to come in to compete with recent signing Tomas Holy for the number one shirt?
"No, because there’s no number one at the minute, you have to fight," Lambert added.
"Bart and Tomas have to fight together, and whoever plays the best they play.
"Anything could happen between now and the start of the season, someone could get injured, somebody might not be in good form, so you can’t guarantee anybody anything at the minute.
"Everyone is in the same boat, but as I said before I need everyone to go the same way and not have any favourites or any ones who are always going to play, everyone has to earn the right to play."