Sunderland push to seal Ipswich Town deal in blow to West Brom & Wrexham | OneFootball

Alex Palmer is reportedly now of interest to the Black Cats as well as two Championship rivals

Sunderland have provided a fresh threat to both West Bromwich Albion and Wrexham in the race to sign Alex Palmer from Ipswich Town.

That is according to a fresh update from the Daily Mail, with both the Baggies and Red Dragons kickstarting their Championship campaigns this weekend.

Both clubs have looked to strengthen their respective squads ahead of the new season which provides an even greater opportunity for sides in the second tier to reach the Premier League, with the clubs who finish seventh and eighth now involved in an expanded play-off format.

Wrexham, of course, missed out on the post-season lottery on the final day of last season after a historic run of three successive promotions, whilst a strong end to the campaign saw Albion stave off relegation to League One, even with a controversial two-point deduction.

Phil Parkinson and James Morrison's outfit also endured mixed fortunes in the EFL Cup first round, and are continuing to push for added depth in a key area of the pitch with just three weeks of the summer transfer window remaining.

Sunderland plot Ipswich Town, Alex Palmer transfer as West Brom, Wrexham circle

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Sunderland and Ipswich, ironically, face off against each other on the opening weekend of the Premier League season on August 22nd, and the Black Cats appear to be targeting the experienced figure amid a reshuffle in Regis Le Bris' goalkeeping department.

That said, Palmer endured a mixed first full season at Portman Road last term as the Tractor Boys returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking ahead of Kieran McKenna's shock departure and the subsequent appointment of Gary O'Neil.

The man who signed from The Hawthorns for £2m in January 2025 suffered a calf injury which saw Christian Walton take his place and keep 16 clean sheets for the remainder of the season.

It has since been claimed that Palmer could be made available for a fee in the region of £3.5m, and this has alerted Sunderland, who also have UEFA Europa League football to contend with in 2026/27, whilst the two Championship clubs have also shown reported interest.

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Meanwhile, any chance of Palmer moving to the Stadium of Light between now and September 1st is said to be majorly impacted by the Red Dragons, due to their pursuit of Anthony Patterson.

The 26-year-old was displaced by Robin Roefs last summer following the Wearside outfit's return to the Premier League, spending the second half of last season on loan at Millwall, who were defeated in the play-off semi-finals.

Patterson has continued to attract heavy transfer interest for most of the summer, and it has now been revealed that the Black Cats academy graduate is en route to North Wales to finalise a deal worth £8m, which would be Wrexham's third summer signing after beating West Brom to Danny Imray of Crystal Palace, whilst Ben Whiteman has also joined from Preston North End.

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Given the likelihood of Patterson joining Wrexham in the coming days as things stand, if Palmer was to remain in the Premier League, it would appear to be a greater blow to the Baggies as things stand.

West Brom were able to tie Max O'Leary to a new three-year contract in June, but saw Josh Griffiths move to Stoke City earlier in the summer, meaning further depth in the goalkeepers union is needed.

Palmer, of course, knows the Baggies inside out, and given the fact the club were also able to re-sign Conor Townsend from the Tractor Boys last month, a reunion for the shot-stopper cannot be ruled out entirely.