How Ipswich Town feel about selling George Hirst as Stoke City & Preston plot move | OneFootball

Stoke City are eyeing a move for a Premier League striker from Ipswich Town, with Ipswich bosses not expected to stand in the way of a transfer...

Stoke City remain in the Championship for 2026/27, with Ipswich Town having gained promotion at the first time of asking to get back to the Premier League.

A much-improved year has to be the aim for Stoke City this season, with Mark Robins and co. having had eight campaigns between 14th and 18th in the Championship since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018.

Josh Griffiths, Svante Ingelsson, Luke Graham, Djibril Soumare, Milan Smit, and Ethan Galbraith have all joined the club, with many for significant fees. That has raised expectations, despite the dismal end to 2025/26 while Ipswich Town joined Coventry City in gaining automatic promotion.

The forward options for Stoke City and Ipswich Town this season

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Stoke are not finished this summer, with more additions yet to come in the final weeks of the window. There are numerous areas they appear to be keen to address in Robins' squad.

Despite the addition of Smit and the presence of Robert Bozenik and Sam Gallagher, it appears another striker is set to arrive this summer. Ipswich's promotion has seen them make the addition of Emersonn in a big-money move to bolster their attack.

Daizen Maeda has also arrived from Celtic. However, Chuba Akpom, Ali Al-Hamadi, and George Hirst are all a part of Gary O'Neil's ranks and they have decisions to make on their futures, with some of them perhaps unable to make an impact in the top flight next season.

Stoke City eye Ipswich Town striker George Hirst

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Hirst has been an Ipswich player for four seasons now, starting with a loan from Leicester City in League One. In a half-season loan, he scored seven goals in 23 matches to help Kieran McKenna's side to promotion.

Since then, he has had two seasons in the Championship with Ipswich, sandwiching a solitary campaign in the Premier League. He notched seven goals and seven assists in 29 games during 2023/24, before five goals and two assists in 29 appearances in 2024/25.

Last season was the best of Hirst's career, with the Scotland international scoring 11 and bagging four assists in 44 games. It also became the year he made his breakthrough for Scotland, scoring once in 10 games for the national team.

The 27-year-old has emerged as a target for Stoke this summer, with journalist Charlie Gordon revealing the latest. Writing in The Scottish Sun, it's stated that they are making an ambitious move to sign the Ipswich centre-forward.

Crucially for Stoke, it's reported that Ipswich are expected to sign another striker before the end of the window, so Ipswich bosses will not stand in his way if the right opportunity to secure regular football comes up, be that via a loan or a permanent exit.

Journalist Pete O'Rourke adds that Stoke are planning a move for Hirst on loan with an option to buy. Stoke are expected to firm up their interest with an approach in the coming days.

Not only that, but Gordon reports Preston North End have joined the race for Hirst and that a loan is more likely to be the deal than a permanent one with either interested club.

Why George Hirst makes his teams greater than the sum of their parts

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Stoke could do far worse than pursuing a move for Hirst this summer, especially if Ipswich are happy for him to leave. While the striker has never been a prolific goalscorer, reaching double figures only once with Portsmouth and once with Ipswich, his overall game offers far more than his record alone suggests.

At 27, he has just entered what should be the peak years of his career and possesses the physicality, pressing, work rate, and all-round game to lead the line effectively. Hirst is an aggressive presser who is willing to do the hard yards out of possession, while his link-up play can help bring teammates into dangerous areas.

That could be particularly beneficial for Stoke's wide forwards, allowing them to make runs beyond him and contribute more goals themselves. Even if he is not a 20-goal striker, Hirst could still significantly improve the Potters' attack.

After such a poor end to last season, Hirst would be a welcome addition for Stoke on top of so many promising signings already this summer. It's a deal that would help to make the team greater than the sum of its parts.