Boss Roy Keane has confirmed that Town will spend time in Portugal during their pre-season preparations, as first revealed by TWTD late last month. The Blues start pre-season training on Thursday with their first friendly against Finn Harps the following Tuesday.

Keane told the club site that he is happy with the schedule he has set out for his players: "I'm pleased with our plans for pre-season, including the training camp in Portugal.

"Things have moved on from the days when players would come back and run up hills for 10 miles. There is more of a scientific approach to pre-season now and I've moved with the times in that respect.

"But I've also got a bit of an old school approach as well and sometimes it will come down to doing some running at the training ground.

"With players having seven or eight weeks off, you do have to be careful with injuries - the tendons, muscle tissue, fibres - so we will build up nicely.”

Town will travel to Portugal for the four-day training camp next week after the Finn Harps match. The Blues' pre-season fixture dates can be seen here.

Meanwhile, Town are reportedly edging ever closer to signing Damien Delaney from QPR, despite interest from Cardiff City last week. TWTD and sister QPR site LoftForWords.co.uk first broke the news that the Irishman was being targeted by the Blues a month ago.

The Delaney deal is understood to consist of an initial fee of £750,000, a further £250,000 if Town make the play-offs and another £100,000 once the Irish international has made 50 appearances.

Elsewhere, Sunderland's Carlos Edwards and Nyron Nosworthy have been linked with the Blues again. Edwards has been mentioned in connection with Town on innumerable occasions over the summer, while Nosworthy, 28, has been linked on a couple of previous occasions.

Both players were regulars in Keane's Sunderland side with former Gillingham man Nosworthy having been switched from playing right-back to centre-half by the Town boss.

Meanwhile, we understand that Jack Ainsley is still to sign the professional contract which Town offered him at the end of last season. The former academy central defender or striker is believed to have attracted interest from elsewhere with his performances for the U18s last season.

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls