Ipswich Town facing new transfer battle as Celtic interested in Tractor Boys striker target | OneFootball

The experienced forward has been linked with the Tractor Boys amongst many other clubs

Scottish Premiership giants, Celtic, have emerged as the latest threat to Championship side Ipswich Town in the race to acquire experienced centre-forward Callum Wilson amid recent developments at his current employers, West Ham United.

According to an update from Ben Jacobs via X on Thursday evening, the Hoops have launched an enquiry regarding whether the Hammers forward would be keen on a switch to Parkhead, as it has been widely reported that his contract at the London Stadium is expected to be terminated six months ahead of schedule.

Ipswich are one of several clubs looking to strike an agreement with the former England international on a free transfer as a result, with Kieran McKenna looking to bolster his side's chances of making an immediate return to the Premier League following their relegation at the end of last season.

The Tractor Boys are currently in a strong position to do exactly that after a strong run of recent form, which included a dominant display and 2-0 success against Wilson's former and hometown club, Coventry City, at the CBS Arena on December 29th, with Frank Lampard's side still currently leading the way in the Championship despite a minor blip in their own campaign of late.

Ipswich had managed to overtake Middlesbrough into second with a 2-1 victory over Oxford United on New Year's Day, but were prevented from staying inside the automatic promotion places after their away trip to Portsmouth on January 4th was called off due to a frozen pitch.

Despite the fact Town have a squad, across all departments, that would be the envy of many supporters of divisional rivals, it is clear that the Northern Irishman is on the lookout for further firepower and experience to give his side a desired advantage in what is a congested race for the Premier League.

Wilson would certainly tick those boxes, having previously been a key part of AFC Bournemouth's initial rise to the top flight as Championship champions under Eddie Howe 11 years ago.

However, it now remains to be seen if the striker can be lured to Portman Road amid well-documented top flight interest from all across the globe, with the Hoops the latest club attempting to show their hand.

Ipswich Town now facing Celtic FC threat in high-profile Callum Wilson transfer race

As previously mentioned, it has become common knowledge that Wilson is braced for an early exit in East London, despite his services being courted by the Hammers on a free transfer just six months ago, shortly after the striker's contract with Newcastle United had run its course.

The nine-time Three Lions international had signed a one-year contract at the London Stadium just two weeks before the Irons' Premier League campaign began with a 3-0 defeat to newly-promoted Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

After making his debut with a 19-minute substitute cameo in that particular match, Wilson has still largely been involved for West Ham in the final weeks of Potter's reign and the opening months of Nuno's tenure, with the one-time Championship title-winning boss at Wolverhampton Wanderers taking charge in September.

The forward has made 18 appearances across all competitions for the Hammers, scoring four times in that timeframe, which is a fairly respectable record in a side whose long-standing Premier League status is at severe risk.

The aforementioned developments regarding his expected contract termination came amid omissions from Nuno's matchday squads for the 2-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest and the subsequent victory over QPR in the FA Cup, which also followed the arrivals of Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos from Gil Vicente and Lazio.

TWTD revealed Ipswich's interest in Wilson ahead of kick-off in that particular match, with divisional rivals Leicester City and Coventry City also the subject of heavy links.

However, after it was claimed that Everton have also looked into the possibility of signing Wilson, Celtic have launched an initial enquiry in a bid to gauge the striker's thoughts on a move to the SPFL, whilst Saudi Pro League side, Al-Shabab, have also been named as a potential destination.

Although a move for Wilson would be particularly shrewd, recent events may mean that Town have to begin looking elsewhere for attacking reinforcements.

It had been claimed that Lyndon Dykes was a possible loan option for McKenna. However, that deal is also out of the window following his short-term move to Charlton Athletic.

Alternatively, McKenna will also want to see more goals from his pre-existing centre-forward options, with Chuba Akpom, Ivan Azon and George Hirst only scoring 10 times between them thus far.