Town are remaining tight-lipped regarding last night’s report that a £13 million deal has been agreed with Sunderland for striker Connor Wickham. TWTD understands that an offer of £9 million plus clauses totalling an additional £4 million is indeed on the table but with the clubs still discussing the proposed deal.

Town's general policy is not to comment on transfer speculation, chief executive Simon Clegg outlining this approach at last week's Nathan Ellington press conference: "When we have something to say, we’ll say it but I don’t comment on speculation or whatever is out there on the Internet. It’s foolish to do so and it’s a policy I’ve had since I’ve been at the club."

Yesterday’s tabloid report appears to have jumped the gun slightly in claiming that the offer has been accepted by the Blues, however, we understand that an agreement regarding the terms on which the 18-year-old frontman could join the Black Cats may not be too far away with talks continuing.

Despite previous suggestions from manager Paul Jewell that Wickham might not be interested in signing for one of the Premier League’s lesser lights, if a deal is agreed with the Wearsiders and no other offers are forthcoming, it’s difficult to see the Hereford-born frontman turning the move down.

Sunderland have stolen a march on the likes of Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal by firming up their interest in the England U21 international, making a bid which would make him the most expensive player to have moved from the Championship to the Premier League without previous experience in the top flight. In 2006 Theo Walcott made the switch from Southampton to Arsenal for a fee which, after a renegotiation in 2008, eventually totalled £9 million, having initially been set at £12 million including clauses.

The deal would also make Wickham Town’s most expensive sale, smashing the £6.5 million Newcastle paid the Blues for Kieron Dyer in the summer of 1999.

Photo: Action Images

Bluetone added 12:25 - Jun 28 If (I said if) he goes for 9+ million there is still no guarantee that PJ will get all (or some of) the fee to reinvest in players.
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gypo added 12:27 - Jun 28 If he goes it will be a good move for him look at Henderson they've just sold to Liverpool for 20 million played 70 odd premier games and England cap he won't get that at one of the big boys then put a sell on clause in deal.
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byebyesheepshanks added 12:30 - Jun 28 Cambsblue - Roberts is 30+, not a striker, got a proper run in the town team & actually did OK, but was fully exposed & decided not up to scratch. Rhodes is a striker, never got a game for town & has scored a goal every other game at a decent level from the day he started playing 1st team football. Oh yeah, & he's only 19! As a town fan, bringing back someone with massive potential for £2mil highlights what a good deal it would be to sell CW for £13m!

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blue_em_away added 12:30 - Jun 28 Wont go to Sunderland. We are in "talks" with them to now trigger the auction. He will go to liverpool with someone coming the other way.
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Basil_Smallpiece added 12:32 - Jun 28 Watch the skint ticket tout trouser the cash and then put the club up for sale.
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ITFC4daprem added 12:33 - Jun 28 o dear
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churchmans added 12:33 - Jun 28 cvillage blue wickham nothing like carrol! carrol played full season in championship and scored over 25goals! first half of the prem season he continued to bang em in and got picked up for full england sqaud thus making him proven! and we all seen the goals he banged in! so how the phuk can you compare less than 10 goals might of been 7 and injury prone to phucking michael carroll take the money and run like phuk!!

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whoppit added 12:34 - Jun 28 Who cares where he goes??? Show us the money !!!!!! Marcus needs a new helecopter for his Manhattan apartment.
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icetruckiller added 12:37 - Jun 28 How much will be ploughed back for new players? As for connor, he'll go, just in it for the money. The only loyality in football is with the fans, end of.
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Tractorog added 12:37 - Jun 28 I hope for his sake he does not go to Spurs. Harry collects good players and then does not play them because he has a team of good players but no funds to buy the magic he needs to make it to the champions league regularly. At least with the Black Cats CW will get a chance to show his worth.
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Mark added 12:38 - Jun 28 IF the fee is £9M+£4M (a big IF as that is paper talk) then I would take it, for the reasons others have given about the risk he doesn't meet his potential. If Chopra and Ellington hit it off, and Jewell brings other decent players in, what's to say Wickham would always start anyway? His value could soon fade, certainly from the height of figures being banded about now. It is a worry that Jewell won't be given the full fee to spent. Remember that Jewell was promised funds to spend anyway, and I had hoped that he would be backed in the transfer market like Magilton and Keane were. Both blew multi-millions whereas Jewell has only spent £1.65M in fees so far. A final thought is the annoyance of Ipswich's "undisclosed fee" policy, so perhaps we will never really know what Wickham sold for, unless Sunderland disclose it.

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Special_A added 12:38 - Jun 28 People are saying we should get X AMOUNT up front, in reality larger football deals are always based a fee plus add on. i.e Henderson to Liverpool. I would love to see Wickham in a Town shirt next season, but lets be realistic, we cannot refuse an offer around the figures being suggested. It is not a lack of ambition selling him, it is great business, and allows us to build again, without falling back into financial difficulty.

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Jeff_winger added 12:39 - Jun 28 I really dont understand why people think Liverpool would start a bidding war, they dont need to all they have to do is equl sunderlands offer (which the club have to accept if that is the claus in the contract) and wickham would choose them why would they outbid sunderland?
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churchmans added 12:40 - Jun 28 byebye sheepshanks ya talking utter pollocks 2m for jordan rhodes phucking wake up all of ya rhodes is gone not proven at prem level or championship level' give it a rest and sign strikers that have done it in this league before we aint got no times for passengers, or 'young players with potentiol' we just want to get are butts outa this chitty league and in the prem! your only gona do that buy buying PROVEN and EXPERIENCED players and you need enuff wedge so please sell 'SUPERMAN'(kunts who think wickham is hot chit!) and lets get the phuk in the prem this season coming!!

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paristractor added 12:43 - Jun 28 get rid....might bust his leg 1st game of season or be another bowditch....
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churchmans added 12:44 - Jun 28 excuse the spelling mistakes and lack of full stops and comas,but was incensed and being a bit of a keyborad warrior!
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brian_a_mul added 12:45 - Jun 28 Sunderland need strikers and are willing to play promising youngsters such as Henderson etc. It could be a good move for Connor. He wont have the big expectations of playing at a big club that are expected to challange for honors while still getting some good premier league experience. If there are no. of games clause in the contract than even better for Town as he would play more games for Sunderland sooner meaning we get cash quicker when clauses are triggered. Plus Sunderland manager, Steve Bruce, seems to be able to attract huge transfer fees for his players. He would give us good value for a 10-20% sell on fee. Its not the end of the world if he goes. Many were saying last season we should sell for £4-5mil. Well the club were right to extend his contract last summer and now we could reap the rewards. Now its time for Murray and Carson to step up!

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byebyesheepshanks added 12:47 - Jun 28 Cambs - get a British 19 yr old striker to prove himself or even close at this level & you turn him into £10m in 1 season.
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thechangingman added 12:47 - Jun 28 It's pretty straightforward really: Football = business and the Wickham deal = good business Sentiment = not business Fans = business (only in so far as they shut up, accept what the owners do and keep paying to buy the 'product) It'll therefore go through. End of.
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jaeitfc added 13:02 - Jun 28 Keep wickham, everyone is comparing failures we held onto for to long but Lool at the likes of barren bent, sold to early... also other clubs, Carroll stayed at Newcastle that extra season and his valuation went up by 30million. All the youngsters in the prem at the minute are going for 16 mil plus. If he is such a prospect people will pay more for him . Give him this season to prove himself get us somewhere, get 20 mil for him, get decent replacements. Believe in connor still!

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simonsays added 13:04 - Jun 28 We have to take that sort of money if the figure being quoted is correct. Will give PJ money to buy 3 or 4 more additions.
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ip5w1ch added 13:17 - Jun 28 Notorious just because you dont share my opinion doesnt actually mean its not valid. I was merely stating I hope Wickham weighs up the options; stay at ITFC and gain more experience in a team and location he knows or move to another team where opportunity may be limited but wages are increased. This is not the only chance he will have and if he stays at ITFC he could well increase his prospects for a dream move. As for ITFC cashing in if we are only getting a few million up front whats the point. I'd much rather see him in the team. He is a massive asset and quite honestly if he's worth £13m now he'll be worth a shed load more in 12 or 24 months time.

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simplesuffolkfarmer1 added 13:20 - Jun 28 I reckon we sell if there offering that much, especially as hes yet to play a full season for the club
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churchmans added 13:25 - Jun 28 brian a nul what makes you think that he is gona get more games for sunderland? thus we get appearance money!!!!!!!!!! they do have decent strikers up there you know! and guess what!!!!!!!! there better than wickham!! are you shocked by that revelation??
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dobbie73 added 13:29 - Jun 28 Much as I'd hate to see Connor go, and much to the disappointment of those 'let's keep him at all costs' fans, Ipswich are and always have been a selling club. We cannot compete financially or in any other way with even mid-table Prem clubs like Sunderland at the moment. And this has been talked up so much now, I think Connor is likely to be unsettled now and expecting a move somewhere. Obviously preferentially for him it would be Liverpool, but if its Sunderland, then that is a good career progression for him. If he does go, then this is what must happen as a minimum: 1. The transfer fee must be fair (£9m + £4m is OK, a larger lump sum up front would be better) 2. A sell-on clause should be added in 3. A loan-back would be good, but unlikely from Sunderland as I guess he would be in their first XI 4. The bulk of the transfer fee must be reinvested for replacements and not just disappear into a black hole!

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