Wycombe Wanderers facing Ipswich Town transfer blow as fresh update emerges | OneFootball

The Chairboys are looking to strike a transfer reunion with Cameron Humphreys

Wycombe Wanderers have reportedly hit a stumbling block in their aims of reuniting with former loan favourite and current Ipswich Town outcast, Cameron Humphreys.

That is according to a fresh report from the Bucks Free Press on Thursday morning, with Michael Duff now in the thick of his first transfer window at Adams Park after replacing the midfielder's former Chairboys boss, Mike Dodds, in September.

After reaching last season's League One play-off semi-finals under Dodds, who took over from Matt Bloomfield himself just 12 months ago, it has been a campaign of inconsistency thus far for the Buckinghamshire outfit, as they currently find themselves in 10th place.

After following up their play-off heartbreak with a new-season hangover, a mini-revival under the former Swansea City and Huddersfield Town boss has seen Wycombe climb to within six points of the top six, with all of the Terriers, Bolton Wanderers and Stockport County on the same amount of points ahead of the 47-year-old's outfit at present.

With Duff looking to return the Chairboys to their previous position in what remains of the current term, it could prove to be a season-defining window for the former Northern Ireland international defender, who isn't just seeking to plug short-term gaps in his squad which have surfaced due to a midfield injury crisis.

It has also been well-documented that Humphreys' current employers, Ipswich, have a strong amount of depth across all departments in comparison to their 23 rivals in the Championship.

As such, Kieran McKenna's men have, themselves, been able to iron out any lingering inconsistencies which followed their relegation from the Premier League last May, and they are now firmly in the automatic promotion conversation, having a game in-hand over Middlesbrough, who leapfrogged them back into second last weekend.

Such resources at the former Manchester United assistant's disposal has meant that Humphreys has barely been able to build on his successful loan with the Chairboys last term, having also been the subject of exit talk in the previous summer transfer window.

However, it appears that the two sides that were able to previously strike a temporary agreement for the 22-year-old have some way to go before the Colchester native can look to bid farewell to Portman Road.

As previously mentioned, the 22-year-old playmaker enjoyed an extremely successful loan with the Chairboys last year, despite the fact they could not end a strong campaign with just a second-ever promotion to the Championship.

Indeed, Humphreys was at the heartbeat of all things good for both Bloomfield and Dodds throughout a gruelling campaign, scoring seven times and posting six assists - all of which came in the regular league campaign - whilst registering 50 appearances across all competitions.

The midfielder has also amassed 43 appearances in total for the Tractor Boys, although the bulk of those would also come in League One ahead of their back-to-back promotion success into the Premier League between 2023 and 2024.

Humphreys is now entering the final six months of his most-recent contract extension, which was penned 36 months ago, and has, again, become the subject of transfer interest, having previously been linked with Oxford United in the summer.

As well as Wycombe being hopeful of securing the services of former Bolton loanee, Aaron Morley, they are looking to lure the Ipswich midfielder back to Adams Park.

The Bucks Free Press reported earlier in the week that Wycombe were, once again, interested in a transfer for their former loan star, although it was not revealed as to whether this would be done on a permanent or temporary basis.

However, the same publication has since revealed that talks have hit a standstill between themselves and Ipswich, stating that there are "a lot of things to iron out" before an agreement can be reached.

It has also been widely reported that the main reason behind such a push for Humphreys' signature is a lack of midfield options currently available to Duff.

Wycombe saw George Abbott recalled by Tottenham Hotspur at the start of the month, whilst Josh Scowen is also sidelined with an injury, as well as Ewan Henderson suffering similar misfortune.

It is clear from his spell last term that Humphreys is a leading League One midfielder in terms of ability, and his addition would be a timely boost in so many ways for Wycombe if they can overcome the current snag in talks, whilst he will also be no major loss to the Tractor Boys given their own midfield depth.