Town will target Wolves left-back Stephen Ward if Wigan firm up their interest in Aaron Cresswell, according to reports from the Midlands. Blues boss Mick McCarthy took the transfer-listed Irish international to Molineux from League of Ireland Bohemians during his time as Wolves boss.

Ward, 27, has been linked with Town ever since McCarthy took over, but an approach has always seemed unlikely while Cresswell is at Portman Road.

The 23-year-old former Tranmere man has been mentioned in connection with a number of clubs this summer with reports last week claiming Wigan see him as a replacement for departed left-back Maynor Figueroa, who has joined Hull City, despite the Latics already having recruited another left-back, ex-Blackpool man Stephen Crainey.

Dubliner Ward, who operated as a winger and a striker earlier in his career, played youth football with Home Farm and Portmarnock before joining Bohemians in 2003. Having been a Town target he joined Wolves for £100,000 in January 2007.

The 6ft 1in tall full-back was told he isn’t in new Wolves manager Kenny Jackett’s plans last month.

Ward, who has won 18 full Ireland caps, scoring twice but is currently out of his national side, is contracted until 2015 and is reported to be one of the higher earners at Molineux. That could rule the Blues out of the running for his signature even if Cresswell were to move on for a significant fee.

Elsewhere, Notts County are said to be reluctant to sell keeper Bartosz Bialkowski, who we reported was targeted by Town earlier in the week.

The Blues could come face to face with old by Shefki Kuqi in their Capital One Cup tie at Stevenage in August with the League One club linked with the 36-year-old Finnish international striker, who is a free agent having left Hibernian.

Another former Blues frontman, Sunderland’s Connor Wickham, is said to be wanted on a season-long loan by Birmingham, Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Town squad fly back from Ireland today having spent Saturday night out in Dublin following their 2-0 friendly victory over Shelbourne.

Photo: Action Images

alexsmith111 added 11:15 - Jul 7 Would rather keep cressy, but if we was able to make a few mill and still end up with a half decent left back, then unfortunately it will probabily happen. Just hope it's a good 4-5 mill for cressy. Hopefully this lad she be cheap
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alexsmith111 added 11:15 - Jul 7 Should be cheap sorry
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pazelle added 11:18 - Jul 7 No thanks!
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suffolkpunchdrunk added 11:18 - Jul 7 Link Strength High - Wolves Player - Check Ex McCarthy Player - Check Irish - Check Not Wanted Elsewhere - Check Free/Cheap - Check
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Keaneish added 11:31 - Jul 7 Need to keep the back 4 together. No deal. Ward any good as a left winger though!?
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TractorCam added 11:33 - Jul 7 I would actually cry if we replaced Aaron Cresswell with Stephen Ward
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HarryfromBath added 11:41 - Jul 7 I am a bit nervous about this one, but would basically trust Mick's judgment. Ward was in the Irish team at the Euro 2012 competition, and was targeted as a weak link time and time again, being regularly pulled out of position. His international experience under Trapattoni, plus working with Mick - a manager with whom he has hitherto been successful, could be useful if there are big games in the run-in to the campaign. Plus we can be grateful that the likes of Spain and Italy are not playing in the Championship!

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streety86 added 11:52 - Jul 7 As much as i want him to stay if selling cressy means signing ward and stearman I wouldn't grumble too much
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oscarwhiting added 12:06 - Jul 7 Don't want to see cressy go tbh, only if it were for a minimum of 4-5 mil. Completely of topic but is that jack Doherty still on trial because he didn't play yesterday, or was it just romours?
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runningout added 12:52 - Jul 7 if Cresswell is sold to Wigan 'full stop' Then our club is definetely going down the pan, and I Dont blame the current coaching staff...
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TractorRoyNo1 added 13:00 - Jul 7 Cresswell is too good for Wigan he will go to evrrton to everton to replace Baines
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Len_Brennan added 13:43 - Jul 7 Ward is a very poor left back and would be a dreadful signing. Losing Cresswell would actually worry me less than signing Ward would. At least there'd be a chance of a decent replacement with £3m+. I haven't seen enough of Mings, but I would still pick him ahead of Ward. No Ward & no Seaborne please Mick.
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jas0999 added 14:38 - Jul 7 I would have thought everyone on here could see we are in need of money. This Summer has demonstrated that we have a very strict / tight budget. That's fine. BUT if an offer of £3-4M comes in for Cresswell the REALITY is he will be sold. MM is therefore absolutely right to have a Plan B. One of PJ's many failings was not having a back-up plan. Ward is decent and if Cresswell goes (likely IMO), then he could be a okay replacement.

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TimmyH added 16:38 - Jul 7 If Cresswell goes for good money then ok but otherwise we don't need another left back, Mings has already proved he can deputize in that position.
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BillBlue added 18:15 - Jul 7 If we are serious about going forward then we must stop this 'sell' complex otherwise we will be spending another twelve years in the lower reaches of English football. Under no circumstances must Cresswell, or any other member of our first team, be sold. If they want to play in the Premiership then let them get us there and play there with us. That is the only way forward. Say NO to selling Cresswell.

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sereneblue added 18:43 - Jul 7 Same s**t different season!
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Keaneish added 18:54 - Jul 7 No way ME will sell Cressie! This story is nonsense. Imagine MM being told he has zero money to spend in the transfer market and his best players can be sold!! No way he'd stand for that and still be our manager I'm sure!
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Lennyboy added 19:02 - Jul 7 It is impossible to build a successful team by developing players only to sell them on once they have improved, MM needs to do everything he can to keep Cressy as otherwise we will remain stagnant. If we keep developing a team only to sell them off when another club comes sniffing, we will do nothing but remain a championship club. With regards to Ward, if his own club in league one doesn't want him then we don't.

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blues1 added 19:49 - Jul 7 lennyboy/billblue. what twaddle. people said the same when we sold kieron dyer, but that sale actually got us promotion. the money from his sale bought 3 or 4 players the following season that won promotion via the playoffs. keaneish, as for your com. ment about mm not remaining as our manager if we were to sell ac? im certain that the fact hed have money to spend would delight him. jas0999. you and I have disagreed many times on here it has to be said but your post on this story is spot on. ward is a good player and would do a good job for us. while itd be sad to see ac go lets not get carried away guys. he was awful for much of last season and while going forward he is very good hes not actually that great a defender. many the time he gets caught with a ball over the top of him. an offer of £3m plus wpuld imo be a no brainer to be accepted.

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brian_a_mul added 20:25 - Jul 7 I have seen Ward playing loads of times in PL and International. He is a weak link buts thats at international level and against Spain/Italy etc. He did well in PL and more than good enough for a top 6 Championship team. At 27, with his experience and work ethic he would be a very good signing as (if) replacement for Cressy. Plus Ward has an eye for goal. His wages would almost definitely rule him out tbh.

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Vizslaraner added 21:30 - Jul 7 I'd back mm 99% of the time but this guy is shocking! Agree with harry from bath! I know that was internationals but he is a croc! Ask any wolves fan how bad he is. I hope cressy dsnt go but wd rather go with young mings who is on the way up, not another player on the way down.
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bluemikey100 added 23:05 - Jul 7 wigan gonna b spending looks like signing grunt holt he older now so hope wont bother us
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Lennyboy added 00:43 - Jul 8 blues1, I respect your opinion, but it is the wrong one. Getting a winning team is not about just the finances, it's about the mentality of the whole group so that they know instinctively what and how their team mates play. Doing this means maintaining what you have and improving. MM has done this well as we have signed former loanees and ridden ourselves of some that did not add anything to the team. Selling one like cressy and saying with the money we can just buy another good r/back, does not mean he will be as effective. As for Cressy, yes he has made some mistakes as do all players, but I've seen him out jump a much taller attacker and win the ball. He is man integral part of team spirit at ITFC, something that can't just be replaced.

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blues1 added 06:36 - Jul 8 lennyboy. again, accept what you say to an extent. however, youre making the mistake that many people make of overrating our players. cressy is a decent player, no more. by the way, hes a left back not a right back. and he certainly can be replaced as could ne member of our team. long gone is the time when we had ne player who is irreplaceable im afraid. don't get me wrong, oim not saying I want him to go, but as I said before, selling a player in orger to strengthen the team is sometimes necessary and can work in your favour, as in the example I gave with dyer. theres no doubt we need strengthening and whether you agree with it or not, I think its apparent that in order to have the money to do so, we need to sell 1st.

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yorksblue added 09:01 - Jul 8 Although MM is doing a great job so far, he has been associated with some dross signings in the past, Ward being one of them. Let's not entertain this one please.
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