Ipswich Town news: New Zan Vipotnik transfer hurdles, Boro backlash, Kieran McKenna staying? | OneFootball

All the latest Ipswich Town news as the Tractor Boys continue their push for promotion to the Premier League.

It is set to be a crucial few weeks for Ipswich Town as they look to seal automatic promotion from the Championship.

Ipswich began the season as title favourites in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League, but they have struggled to live up to that billing during what has been a frustrating campaign at times.

The Tractor Boys have found greater consistency over the course of the season, and it seemed as though they had cemented second place after a 2-0 victory over East Anglian rivals Norwich City at Carrow Road earlier this month.

However, Ipswich have failed to build on their derby success, and after a 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth last Tuesday night, they were held to a 2-2 draw by fellow promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough at Portman Road on Sunday.

Ahead of the midweek games and trip to Charlton Athletic on Wednesday night, Kieran McKenna's men sit second in the table, level on points with third-placed Millwall and one point clear of fourth-placed Southampton with a game in hand, but they could find themselves out of the top two by the time they kick off at The Valley depending on Tuesday's results.

As Ipswich prepare for a season-defining period, here is all the latest Tractor Boys news.

Ipswich Town receive Kieran McKenna boost after big AFC Bournemouth announcement

It is fair to say that McKenna has done an outstanding job since taking over at Ipswich in December 2021, and having previously achieved back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, he will be hoping to guide the club to the top flight for a second time this season.

McKenna has attracted plenty of interest from elsewhere over the past four-and-a-half years, most notably from Chelsea and Manchester United in the summer of 2024, while he was also linked with the Celtic job earlier this season, but he has consistently remained loyal to the Tractor Boys.

Speculation about McKenna's future emerged once again last week when it was claimed that he was on the radar of Bournemouth, who were searching for a successor to Andoni Iraola following the announcement that he will leave the Vitality Stadium this summer after three years in charge.

However, any fears Ipswich fans may have had about McKenna's potential exit have proven to be short-lived, with the Cherries naming former Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig manager Marco Rose as Iraola's replacement on Monday, and they will be hoping there will be no further suitors for the 39-year-old over the coming months.

Middlesbrough's Luke Ayling slams officials after Ipswich Town penalty incident

Ipswich picked up a valuable point in their push for automatic promotion in the 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough at Portman Road on Sunday, but the game was certainly not without controversy.

It looked as though the Tractor Boys were heading for defeat after Tommy Conway restored Boro's lead in the 64th minute, but with just three minutes remaining, the hosts were awarded a penalty when Adilson Malanda brought down George Hirst in the box.

However, replays showed that the contact from Malanda was minimal, while it seemed unlikely that Hirst would have got to the ball had he not been impeded, and the questionable decision certainly angered Middlesbrough defender Luke Ayling, who made no secret of his frustration with the officials in his post-match interview.

"We're gutted. We're angry. First half we found it tricky, but you'll always get that coming to a place like this. It's a hard place to come," Ayling told BBC Tees.

"Second half, I feel we really took over the game and played really well. We pinned them in their half for long spells and scored a great goal. The penalty is a baffling decision.

"I know some fans are biased towards their own team, but I don't think there'll be one fan who goes away tonight and thinks that's a penalty. The ball is pretty much out of play before Adi even touches him.

"Okay, he might make some contact, but the ball has gone. There ain't no way he is scoring from there, and it's never a foul, it's never a penalty. In a game like that, to have that go against us, it's baffling."

Ipswich Town face fresh competition in transfer battle for Swansea City star Zan Vipotnik

While Ipswich are firmly in the race for automatic promotion, they have arguably lacked a prolific striker this season following Liam Delap's departure to Chelsea, and solving that problem is likely to be a priority for the Suffolk outfit this summer.

The summer transfer window may still be more than a month away, but it appears the Tractor Boys have already started identifying potential targets, with Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik said to be one man on their wishlist.

Vipotnik is currently the Championship top scorer after an outstanding season for the Swans that has seen him hit 23 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions, and he put pen to paper on a new contract to keep him in South Wales until 2030 last month.

However, that has not stopped the rumours over Vipotnik's future, and after he was linked with the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion, Leeds United and Coventry City, Portuguese giants Benfica have become the latest club to be credited with an interest, providing Ipswich with further competition if they are to seal a deal for the 24-year-old, who is reportedly valued at £15 million by Swansea.