Ipswich Town transfer news: Chelsea & Fulham pair targeted, Conor Chaplin hint dropped by Kieran McKenna | OneFootball

The latest roundup of transfer news at Ipswich Town, including links to Chelsea and Fulham players

With automatic promotion well within their sights, Ipswich Town are looking to add reinforcements across the pitch in a bid to bolster their chances of making an immediate return to the Premier League.

Although they sit in 3rd place with a game in hand on 2nd place Middlesbrough, which, if they win, they go into the automatic places, it hasn't been the season Ipswich Town fans would have been hoping for.

Coventry City took the league by storm in the first half of the campaign to propel themselves as outright favourites for the league title, and despite a dip in form from the Sky Blues, with Ipswich completing the league double over them, Frank Lampard's side remains at the summit of the table.

The January window offers the chance for teams across the division to add reinforcements across the pitch, and Ipswich are no different.

Although no new arrivals have yet come in, the Tractor Boys' first piece of business this winter has already been made, with midfielder Cameron Humphreys joining League One Huddersfield Town on loan for the remainder of the season.

This is likely to be the first of a few ins and outs in Suffolk this window, as Kieran McKenna looks to shape his squad for a strong push for the Premier League.

Chelsea youngster Kendry Paez could have Strasbourg loan cut short to join Ipswich Town following links

18-year-old Ecuadorian attacking midfielder Kendry Paez officially joined Chelsea from Independiente del Valle this summer, and was subsequently sent out on loan to affiliate club Strasbourg in Ligue 1.

Capped 23 times by his native country already despite his age, Paez has made 14 appearances in the French top flight this season, though only four of those have been starts, scoring once, and has now been the subject of a link to Ipswich.

Indeed, when Ipswich last got promoted, they had another Ecuadorian attack-minded player in the ranks, namely Jeremy Sarmiento, and McKenna appears to be aiming to recreate history with the addition of Paez.

An immensely talented player with a huge ceiling, whether Paez is ready for the physical nature of the Championship remains to be seen, but he would be an incredibly exciting option in the number 10 position or out wide at Portman Road, and could add the missing spark Ipswich need to secure a place back in the top flight.

Ipswich Town approach Fulham captain Tom Cairney with contract expiry on the horizon

Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney is entering the final six months of his deal at Craven Cottage, and, set to be 35 by the end of the January window, it remains to be seen whether the London outfit is willing to keep him around for a little longer.

The twice-capped Scottish international joined Fulham in 2015 from Blackburn Rovers, having come through the academy at Hull City, and has now spent over a decade at the club, amassing over 360 appearances for the Cottagers across all competitions in that time.

The midfielder has seen his game time dwindle over the years, and although he remains a regular fixture in the club's matchday squads, he has been limited to just three starts in 13 Premier League outings this campaign.

Ipswich have registered an interest in signing Cairney this January, though it's unclear whether Marco Silva would be willing to let him leave just yet, having started their last two games against Liverpool and Chelsea - the Portuguese coach has revealed he's had no talks with the experienced midfielder over the interest yet.

Fellow Championship side Wrexham also registered an interest in Cairney during the summer, but he chose to remain in London instead of a move to North Wales.

Whether Ipswich can get a deal over the line for the experienced midfielder remains to be seen, though he would certainly be a valued addition to the side, having achieved promotion to the Premier League on three separate occasions with Fulham; he may fancy earning one more with Ipswich.

Earlier this January, McKenna was due to assess Conor Chaplin's situation at Portsmouth, as although the attacking midfielder has yet to hit the back of the net upon his return to Pompey, he has still been a regular in the side, making 19 league appearances since his switch.

It looked as though the former Coventry City and Barnsley man was set to remain at Fratton Park for the rest of the season, with Pompey boss John Mousinho expecting him to stay.

Mousinho told Portsmouth News: "Conor is likely to stay.

"We had a brief conversation with Ipswich on Sunday, and the intention is for him to stay for the season.

"You never know, but the difference with Conor compared to Minhyeok (Yang) is Spurs can recall him and send him back out again, whereas if Conor’s recalled he can only play for Ipswich because he’s already played for them this season. That puts us in a stronger position."

However, in somewhat of a twist, McKenna has hinted that Chaplin may still be recalled to Portman Road before next week's deadline to make it happen, with no talks or decision yet to have happened.

Chaplin had already played for Ipswich this season prior to his return to the South Coast, meaning if a recall was sanctioned, he would not be able to play for another club for the rest of this campaign.

Chaplin had played a huge role in Ipswich's promotion to the Premier League just a couple of seasons ago, scoring 13 and assisting nine in 44 second-tier games, but now looks like the shadow of the player he was just a couple of years ago.