Stoke City join Coventry City in race for Ipswich Town defender Luke Woolfenden | OneFootball

Coventry have already had a bid for the centre-back rejected.

Stoke City's interest in Ipswich Town's Luke Woolfenden has been revealed amid a rejected bid from Coventry City for the defender.

Woolfenden was the subject of an offer from Frank Lampard's Sky Blues, which was ultimately turned down, as was reported by Ben Jacobs.

The centre-half hasn't been used at all by Kieran McKenna in Ipswich's first two matches of the new Championship season, but, with the loss of Cameron Burgess to Swansea City earlier in the summer, the Northern Irish boss doesn't have a tonne of depth in this position.

Luke Woolfenden attracting attention from multiple Championship clubs

The 26-year-old is a product of the Tractor Boys' academy system. He has been a staple of the Ipswich squad since the 2019/20 season, and played a big role in their fairytale run that saw them win back-to-back promotions, taking Town from League One to the Premier League in just a couple of seasons.

A vastly experienced EFL central defender, a number of Ipswich's league rivals are said to also be interested in Woolfenden, alongside Coventry. TWTD have named Stoke as one of the keen parties.

Any move for the Town player will be tough for Coventry, Stoke or anyone else to pull off though as, according to Jacobs, McKenna's side have no desire to see Wolfenden leave Portman Road in the remaining days of the window.

He extended his provisional stay with the club in January by signing a new contract that should keep him in East Anglian until the summer of 2027. Ipswich have an option to extend that deal by a further year at the end of it.

Coventry have a clear desire to upgrade at centre-back. Sheffield United, Brentford and Burnley have all been linked with Bobby Thomas in recent days, creating a potential need for Lampard to shop in this market himself before the window shuts on 1st September. They had two bids rejected for Hull City's Charlie Hughes earlier in the summer, as per Hull Live.

Ipswich can't let Luke Woolfenden leave this summer

Woolfenden would be a strong addition to every second-tier side, and would get into the starting XI of most of those teams, but it's for that reason that Ipswich need to hold onto him.

For the player, it might be tough to sit on the bench and watch the likes of Dara O'Shea, the new captain, and Jacob Greaves play ahead of him. Only being used in cup competitions is not what any player of the 26-year-old's ability sees for themselves.

Ultimately, he will know the way that football works. There is every chance that, like last season, someone like Greaves won't be able to last a full campaign and Woolfenden will get his opportunity to stake his starting claim.