Málaga want Town to pay €200,000 (£135,000) plus another €100,000 (£68,000) based on appearances for centre-half César Navas. A Town representative, who we understand to have been chief executive Derek Bowden, was in Spain for talks yesterday.

The Blues offered a straight €150,000 (£100,000) at the meeting which was also attended by Navas's agent, but Málaga want the higher fee plus the appearances-based top-up.

Town will respond to Málaga's valuation within the next week with the Spanish Segunda División keen to sell their highest-paid player sufficiently in advance of the end of transfer window to give them time to add to their squad.

Málaga are eager to offload Navas's La Liga-sized wages — his salary makes up a seventh of their overall wage bill - and sent him out on loan to Gimnàstic de Tarragona last season, where he recorded an unfortunate double of a second successive relegation from the Spanish top flight, Málaga having been demoted a year earlier.

Navas, who has a year left on his Málaga contract, impressed the Portman Road management during his trial spell, which was ended early by the injury sustained in the pre-season game at Crawley. The 27-year-old will be out of action until the end of September or early October, but has no history of foot injuries and is keen to move to England.

Town have looked at other centre-halves in recent weeks, including a trip to the Czech Republic, apparently to watch Sparta Prague's Jan Simunek who subsequently signed for German side Wolfsburg for €5 million (£3.4 million), but it appears Navas is still the Blues' management's preferred option.

Get the fastest and most comprehensive Ipswich Town news service at ipswichtown.footballlatest.co.uk.

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls