Luton Town are reportedly showing interest in keeper Christian Walton, who has been on loan with the Blues from Brighton and Hove Albion.
The 26-year-old is set to return to the Seagulls after the Premier League club activated a recall clause with seven days’ notice earlier this week.
Discussions between the Blues and the Sussex club are continuing with manager Kieran McKenna saying after yesterday’s game that the last he had heard the club was "positive a solution would be met with Brighton”.
Now, according to The Sun on Sunday, the Hatters are showing interest in signing Walton, who is out of contract at the Amex Stadium in the summer.
It’s said that Walton’s £13,000-a-week wage at Brighton - which Town will have been paying a proportion of during his loan spell - is an obstacle for both clubs but with the Blues able to make the keeper a better offer than the Bedfordshire side, who are currently 13th in the Championship.
Walton, who previously spent the first half of 2016/17 on loan at Luton, has been one of Town's best performers since joining in August. When asked about his future following the FA Cup replay defeat to Barrow, he was unable to comment but said he was happy at Portman Road.
"I think that sort of thing is best left to the hierarchy within the clubs,” he said. "I’ve nothing to say on that at the minute because I don’t really know my situation. All I do know is that I’m playing for Ipswich Town and I’m really enjoying my football here.
"I think my form’s been good but I don’t think that’s for me to talk about at this moment, after a 2-0 defeat at Barrow.
"As long as I can keep doing as much as I can for the team within games then hopefully it spirals and has a knock-on effect throughout the team.
"I will always want to be doing better and will continue to work hard and apply myself. This is a great football club to be playing for and I love playing for the club.
"This is a massive football club and any player within the divisions would want to come and play for Ipswich.
"You’ve seen the players that we’ve recruited in the summer from higher divisions and you can see from the support that we get how good the club is. I’m really enjoying my time here.”
Walton is also understood to have a strong relationship with new goalkeeper-coach Rene Gilmartin, the pair having been at Plymouth together early in his career.