Derby County ready to pounce for Ipswich Town player as Kieran McKenna faces transfer dilemma | OneFootball

Sammie Szmodics' future at Portman Road has been debated at the start of January

Ipswich Town playmaker Sammie Szmodics is a transfer target for Championship rivals Derby County, should he become available for a move this month.

The East Anglian Daily Times have discussed what the future holds for the 11-time Republic of Ireland international at Portman Road, whilst claiming that the Rams "would be" interested in pursuing a deal of some descript if he was able to depart Suffolk, which would see Szmodics reunite with his one-time Blackburn Rovers boss, John Eustace.

As is the case for any of the 24 clubs currently residing in the Championship, the current winter transfer window provides an opportunity for a handful of tweaks to be made across their respective squads in order to help achieve their short-term goals for the remainder of the season.

It has been well-documented that Ipswich were tipped, by many pundits, outsiders and even a fair portion of their own fanbase, to achieve an immediate promotion back to the Premier League under the management of the highly-rated Kieran McKenna.

After starting the campaign in a vein of rather inconsistent form, the Suffolk outfit have certainly found their grove in recent weeks, having closed in on the division's automatic promotion places at the end of 2025.

Indeed, McKenna's side did fall back into the play-off spots last weekend. However, this is largely down to the fact their away trip to Portsmouth was postponed due to a frozen pitch at Fratton Park.

Meanwhile, whilst form has faltered in recent weeks, Derby still remain amongst a clutch of sides hoping to secure a play-off spot at the end of the season, with the cash certainly beginning to be splashed at Pride Park over the course of recent months despite talks of a potential takeover.

The East Midlands side are currently seven places and six points behind Watford in sixth with 19 games of their season remaining, and have already begun conducting transfer activity this window with the addition of Oscar Fraulo from Bundesliga side, Borussia Mönchengladbach.

As previously mentioned, Derby have been one of the most active clubs in the second tier when it comes to transfer activity in Eustace's first full season in DE24, having moved controversially from Blackburn 11 months ago.

The Rams welcomed 13 players on permanent or loan deals across the summer window, with the pick of those coming in the form of USMNT international, Patrick Agyemang, who joined from Major League Soccer side, Charlotte FC.

Dion Sanderson was one of several players who had previously featured for Eustace at his former clubs, Birmingham City and Blackburn, with the defender also turning his loan move from St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park into a permanent deal at the start of the current window, whilst long-term target, Fraulo, also moved to English football for the first time.

And, it has now emerged that a potential reunion with Szmodics could be on the cards for the 46-year-old, but only if Ipswich are ready to sanction a departure for the man who was signed for £9m in the summer of 2024 ahead of their first, and only, Premier League campaign since 2002.

Such claims have been debated by Stuart Watson of the East Anglian Daily Times, as Ipswich may look to recoup some of the aforementioned funds they parted with to sign the man who won the Championship's Golden Boot in 2023/24 for Blackburn, with Eustace ending that particular season as head coach at Ewood Park, securing survival on the final day of the campaign with a 2-0 victory at Leicester City.

It has been an extremely frustrating time with the Blues for Szmodics, though, having scored four times in just 35 appearances across all competitions.

He has been reduced to just 14 of those so far this season, and has missed Town's last four outings, with McKenna revealing that the attacking midfielder has been recovering from an illness, having also missed a month of action between November and December with a knee issue.

The Rams, of course, do have plenty of experienced options across all departments, meaning a move for Szmodics also makes a large amount of sense on this particular front.

The 30-year-old's versatility could prove to be a vital asset for Eustace, should he be able to strike another transfer reunion, and one which could help Szmodics restore his confidence and form.

At present, the immediate future of Ben Brereton Diaz is up in the air, with reports emerging that Brazilian side, Corinthians, have joined Toronto FC in a transfer saga involving the current Southampton loanee, whilst 10-goal top scorer, Carlton Morris, remains sidelined.

Therefore, this is a move which could benefit all parties, although it is clear that, to some extent, parts of the deal remain out of Derby's control.