Blues Young Player of the Year Omari Hutchinson has reportedly already been called back to parent club Chelsea.
The 20-year-old enjoyed a hugely successful season on loan with the Blues, netting 11 times in his first full campaign in senior football.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea have told the Jamaica international that they want him back at the club next week in order to run the rule over him in training and hold talks regarding his future.
Town fans - and manager Kieran McKenna - have made it clear they want him back at Portman Road next season, while the player himself was non-committal when asked following Saturday’s match, although previously having said he’d welcome a return to Portman Road in 2024/25.
Other clubs at home and elsewhere in Europe are also said to expressed an interest in loaning Hutchinson, who has a year left on his Chelsea contract but with the club having an option for a further season.
Reports last week claimed they were looking to offer him new terms, although it’s thought talks on a new deal are still to take place, and it’s understood Chelsea will need to sell players over the summer to comply with the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Whether Hutchinson, who is believed to be valued at around £20 million, is among them remains to be seen with a number of Europe’s big clubs having previously been linked and with his spell at Town having been keenly watched.
But, as it stands, the former Arsenal academy player is expected to go on Chelsea’s pre-season tour to the US in July with decisions on his future likely to be made after that.
Town are only able to loan two players in the Premier League, which will give manager McKenna some tough decisions.
But, speaking after Saturday’s game, the Blues boss said he’d like to keep some of this season’s loan players at the club.
"For sure, it’s a special group,” he said. "We’ve had success with that last year, keeping the group together, bringing in someone like George [Hirst] on loan and the way he’s escalated.
"Of course, we’ll look at all possibilities, we’ll build a squad as strong as we can but the players we’ve had in on loan this year have been an absolute credit to themselves and have been a really big part of the group.”
Fellow forward Jeremy Sarmiento impressed during his half-season spell from Brighton and Hove Albion and at the time he joined in January it was reported in Ecuador that the loan switch could be extended into a second season.