Ipswich Town attempt last-ditch transfer hijack deal for 25-cap international midfielder | OneFootball

Could Jens Cajuste finally be returning to Portman Road after all?

Ipswich Town have not given up hopes of re-signing Jens Cajuste this summer - despite the fact he was closing in on a move to Turkish giants Beşiktaş.

The Tractor Boys have had an auspiciously quiet start to the summer transfer window following their relegation back to the Championship after just one year in the Premier League, with the only arrival being experienced back-up goalkeeper David Button.

There's been a handful of departures from Portman Road, including Liam Delap, Axel Tuanzebe, Cameron Burgess and Massimo Luongo, as well as loanees returning to parent clubs, of which Cajuste is included - but could he now be making a return to Suffolk?

Ipswich Town return to Jens Cajuste transfer saga with late hijack effort

Ipswich completed somewhat of a coup for a newly-promoted side last summer when agreeing to loan in Sweden international midfielder Cajuste from Napoli, and he impressed in Town's engine room despite struggling at times with a knee issue.

The temporary agreement included a clause that would've seen Town obligated to buy Cajuste from the now Serie A champions for £10 million if they stayed in the Premier League, but with the Tractor Boys heading straight back down, it never became active.

In the past few days though, it has looked as though the 25-year-old was heading to Istanbul, with Beşiktaş and their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer agreeing a €1 million loan deal, which would become a €6.5 million permanent transfer should certain conditions be met, as per journalist Fabrizio Romano.

There has been another twist in Cajuste's saga though, as according to Romano's fellow countryman Alfredo Pedulla, Ipswich made a new approach for the Scandinavian late in the day, putting his switch to Türkiye in severe doubt.

It now remains to be seen if Cajuste will be tempted to return to Ipswich despite dropping into the Championship, or if the lure of European football with Beșiktaș will be too much to turn down.

Ipswich Town need to get going in transfer window - Jens Cajuste would be a good start to business

Given the fact David Button won't play matches for Ipswich unless they are absolutely desperate, Kieran McKenna still hasn't got his transfer business underway yet.

Their squad still looks strong enough on paper if there's no more significant departures to add to new Chelsea striker Delap, but there's some gaps to fill in certain areas, such as up-front, in midfield and at right-back and the centre of defence.

Town probably need more than one central midfielder after the exits of Luongo and Cajuste, but replacing the latter with himself if they can do a deal would be really smart, as he would be incredibly classy for Championship level.