Ipswich Town have reportedly made the breakthrough in discussions for Chelsea forward Armando Broja.
On the back of earning a return to the Premier League, the Tractor Boys' hierarchy have shown ambition in attracting some high-profile names to Portman Road.
Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips and Blackburn Rovers forward Sammie Szmodics have each signed for the club in recent days.
The latter was the Championship top goalscorer for 2023-24 and is expected to become a regular in the final third, either as a frontline striker or in chief support.
Liam Delap and George Hirst were already challenging for the number nine role before Szmodics's arrival, yet it now appears that they face further competition for that position.
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Broja ready to move to Ipswich
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, there is a verbal agreement in place for Broja to make the switch to the East Anglian outfit.
Earlier in the month, the suggestion was that the Albania international was not massively in favour of signing for Ipswich having been linked with some bigger clubs in the Premier League and Europe.
However, Romano says that Broja will now sign for Ipswich on an initial loan deal for the remainder of the campaign with the potential for a permanent transfer.
Ipswich will reportedly be obligated to complete the £30m transfer of the 22-year-old should they avoid relegation from the top flight.
While Chelsea would have preferred such a fee up front, Broja's wages will be taken off the wage bill and the possibility is there for a substantial boost to their Profit and Sustainability position in just over nine months time.
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The fresh start that Broja needs?
When Broja sustained a serious knee injury back in December 2022, he would have dreamed of being reintegrated back into the Chelsea senior squad.
Although that occurred, Broja was provided with just 695 minutes of football in 2023-24 up until the end of January, and only 81 minutes would follow across eight appearances on loan at Fulham.
That effectively ended his chances of becoming a part of Enzo Maresca's new-look squad, even if he did make two appearances during the pre-season tour of the United States.
A medical will now take place over the next 24 hours with Ipswich hoping that Broja can be part of the squad for Saturday's trip to Manchester City or the EFL Cup tie at AFC Wimbledon four days later.
Darren Plant
