CEO Mark Ashton says the Blues are in for “three, four, five players at the moment” in what he says will be a busy summer at Portman Road.
Already Town have added Wes Burns from Fleetwood and Lee Evans from Wigan, while we understand a deal to sign West Brom’s Rekeem Harper on a three-year deal is very close to being confirmed. The Blues are also targeting Rotherham midfielder Matt Crooks.
Speaking on the Mark Murphy show on BBC Radio Suffolk (from 2hrs 37mins 54secs), Ashton wouldn’t comment on any specific players the Blues are targeting.
"I’d love to give you an exclusive but it would probably cost me the deal,” he said. "Let’s be really clear, we are in for three, four, five players at the moment.
"Are they imminent? The deals will drop when they drop when they drop because it has to be right for the club, the agent and the player.
"We’ve got two in very quickly, we are in the mix for more than a handful and they will continue to come in over the next few weeks.”
How many signings is he budgeting for? "More than a handful. The market is fluid, it’s a very unusual transfer market at the moment because it’s affected by the pandemic but we’ll be right at the forefront.
"We have the salary protocols [League One’s Salary Cap Management Protocol (SCMP)] that we have to adhere to but we’ll fund right to the max of the cap, that’s for sure.
"But it moves by the day. You’re in for a player then suddenly something happens and that club’s not releasing that player. But we’re going to be in for quite a few and it will be a busy summer.”
Reflecting on the job he took over on June 1st overall, he added: "We need to change things, both on and off the pitch and I’m not going to hide away from that.
"This is potentially a huge football club and I’ve been blown away by the size and the heritage and the history of Ipswich Town.
"But right now we’re a League One football club and we’ve got to work our socks off to get out of this division.
"We need to recruit players that are capable of doing that and players and staff that are absolutely committed to this football club and nothing else.
"I’ve moved to the area, players who come and join this football club and staff who join this football club have got to be part of this community because we’re only going to take this club in one direction, and that is forward.”