West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble is Town's loan target and could complete his move to Portman Road next week. Noble is highly rated at Upton Park, making his Championship debut as a 17-year-old.
Now 19, Noble came on as a sub in both legs of the 2004/05 play-off semi-final against Town, winning his club's Young Player of the Year award that season.
Last year the Londoner played six Premiership games and one Carling Cup match for West Ham before moving on loan to Hull City where he played five times before being sidelined by a back injury.
Noble has captained the England U19s and qualifies for both England and the Republic of Ireland, but is yet to receive an U21 call for either nation.
The central midfielder is likely to be well-known to first team coach Bryan Klug from academy games against the Hammers over the years.
Noble was amongst the scorers as West Ham won 4-0 in a friendly at Cambridge United on Tuesday evening.
Town are unlikely to complete his signing until next week after the midfielder returns from a pre-season trip to Greece with the Hammers.
Meanwhile, Town are reported to be receiving £400,000 from Leeds for Ian Westlake in addition to new left-back Dan Harding. Both players are expected to agree terms with their new clubs today.