Norwich City and Ipswich Town join Blackburn Rovers in race to sign versatile defender | OneFootball

Norwich City and Ipswich Town have joined Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End in the race to sign Bangor defender Harry Lynch.

The summer transfer window is still some way off and yet clubs in the EFL are plotting their moves already, with East Anglia rivals Norwich City and Ipswich Town doing battle for one young player.

Norwich City embarked upon an extremely busy summer in 2025 with Liam Manning poached from Bristol City and the Canaries bringing in plenty of new faces.

It was a woeful start to the year, though, and so Manning was relieved of his duties in the early winter, with former Monaco and Rangers boss Philippe Clement brought in to great effect.

Having steered away from the bottom three and the relegation places, Norwich will be looking to finish the season with a flourish ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

Ipswich Town, on the other hand, following their relegation from the Premier League, were widely tipped up by many as pre-season title favourites, but the Tractor Boys got off to a tricky start.

They have improved as the season has gone by, but many remain frustrated by their performance level, with Kieran McKenna’s side sitting six points outside of the top two and the automatic promotion spots.

Now, as they both look to finish in a positive manner to differing extents, the two clubs are battling it out for a new signing.

Norwich City & Ipswich Town in multi-club battle for Harry Lynch

According to an exclusive report by Football Insider, Norwich City and Ipswich Town are in the race to sign Bangor centre-back Harry Lynch this summer.

19-year-old Lynch has made 30 appearances and played all but a few minutes of Bangor’s 2025/26 Northern Irish Premiership campaign thus far, and he has stood out, despite the team’s overall struggles.

It has been reported that both Norwich and Ipswich are plotting moves for the so-called sensation, who also has interest from elsewhere in the Championship with Lancastrian duo Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End said to have sent scouts to keep tabs on the defender.

Lynch, who has represented Northern Ireland at U19 level, is capable of playing both at centre-back and at right-back and appears to be a prized asset ahead of this summer’s market.

The teenager still has one year remaining on his Bangor contract, however, so a fee will be needed to bring the defender to an EFL club later on this year if a deal is done.

Harry Lynch may need to wait on Norwich City and Ipswich Town's respective situations

Norwich are well out of contention for the top six and the play-off spots in the Championship but, while they have pushed themselves clear of imminent danger, things can change quickly in England’s second-tier.

As for Ipswich, despite their deficiencies and supporter frustration, there remains an expectation that, whether it be via a top two finish or a visit to Wembley Stadium in the play-offs, Town will eventually get themselves back into the Premier League for next season.

It may not be the case, but clubs tend to change their plans quite drastically depending on a change in the division and that is something still up in the air for both sides.

With the uncertainty over both sides’ futures for next year, albeit Norwich do appear to be a lot firmer in their status as a Championship club, Lynch may have to wait and find out what business those two sides are looking to conduct this summer – as it may determine just how interested they will be in the defender.