Ipswich Town will sense big transfer opportunity after Millwall developments | OneFootball

Ipswich Town may look to return to a move for Millwall's Femi Azeez this summer

Millwall will be spending another year in the Championship, with the Lions having lost out to Hull City over two legs in the play-off semi-finals, and will be hoping to fend off interest for some of their key assets this summer.

Millwall's hopes of finally playing Premier League football next season have been squashed with their 2-0 home defeat to Hull on Monday night.

The Lions took a 0-0 draw at the MKM Stadium into their home tie at The Den, and would have certainly been confident of earning a spot at Wembley, but goals from substitutes Mohamed Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt meant that it would be Hull who head into the play-off final.

Alex Neil's excellent play-off record comes to a disappointing end, and in the wake of this crushing revelation, attention in Southwark must swiftly be turned to the summer window.

Interest in some of the clubs' star assets will almost certainly be rife, as Ipswich Town may well be rubbing their hands at Millwall's expense, as the Tractor Boys could well make a return for a previous January target.

Ipswich Town may look to prise Femi Azeez away from Millwall after the Lions' play-off heartbreak

With Millwall resigned to another year in the Championship, they will almost certainly face a battle to keep hold of some of their star players.

The likes of Tristan Crama and Mihailo Ivanovic are bound to have suitors, but neither of those are set to be as in-demand as English winger Femi Azeez, who they signed from League One Reading in the summer of 2024 for just £1 million.

Azeez, 24, had a quiet debut campaign at The Den, scoring two and assisting five in 34 Championship games, but this time around, he has exploded into life, with 11 goals and eight assists in 35 second-tier games, spearheading Millwall's promotion push.

However, things could have been very different in January, as Azeez was the subject of a club-record bid from Ipswich late in the January window, worth in excess of £15 million, which the Lions swiftly rejected.

Ipswich head coach Kieran McKenna was keen to add more attacking quality to his squad whilst weakening a rival, testing Millwall's resolve with a bid.

The Tractor Boys already boasted the likes of Jaden Philogene and Jack Clarke on the wings, as well as Sindre Walle Egeli, who joined for a Championship record £17.5 million in the summer, and Kasey McAteer, who joined from Leicester City in the same window for around £12 million.

Add to this the £10 million addition of Marcelino Nunez from bitter rivals Norwich City and the January capture of Anis Mehmeti from Bristol City, and Ipswich have ample strength and depth to blow almost every side out of the water.

Whilst it hasn't necessarily played out that way, with both Walle Egeli and McAteer in particular struggling, Ipswich finished one point ahead of Millwall to confirm automatic promotion, and may look to cause them more damage this summer by returning with a move for Azeez.

McKenna will be keen to add more attacking talent to Ipswich's roster this summer, and given the influx of money they will receive from promotion, twinned with the fact that Millwall will be remaining in the Championship, their odds of being able to lure Azeez to Portman Road will have drastically increased.

Under contract until the summer of 2028, Millwall will have no intention of letting the winger go this summer, but if another huge bid comes their way from Ipswich, it could prove to be too good to turn down.

Azeez will certainly be on Ipswich's list of targets this summer, as Millwall will be bracing themselves for renewed interest from Suffolk.

Kieran McKenna may look to begin Ipswich Town's summer transfer window with the addition of Femi Azeez

Northern Irish boss McKenna will be aiming to cement Ipswich's place in the top flight next season, having been immediately relegated from the top flight last time around.

Three promotions in four years with Ipswich make him one of the club's greatest managers of all time, and he will almost certainly be backed in the transfer market again.

Azeez, alongside Millwall teammate Tristan Crama, was named in the Championship Team of the Season for his performances off the right flank, which is almost certainly where he would continue playing for Ipswich.

With Wes Burns ageing, and Walle Egeli and McAteer failing to have made the desired impact, a space on the right flank is there for the taking, and it would be little surprise if Azeez were earmarked to fill it.

McKenna can kick off Ipswich's summer with the addition of Azeez, which would certainly be a statement of intent from the Tractor Boys.