Leeds rivals Ipswich face blow as Fulham ‘to move’ for Kieran McKenna amid £eight million clause | OneFootball

Leeds United will monitor Premier League rivals as Ipswich Town risk an early-summer setback, with Kieran McKenna potentially leaving before their survival push.

TalkSPORT reports that Fulham are eyeing McKenna as Marco Silva looks set to depart for Benfica, with the Ipswich boss among leading candidates and understood to be open to the move, and that there is a £eight million release clause that Fulham are examining.

Ipswich want to keep their manager but could be powerless if the clause is triggered, which would allow him to leave Portman Road.

McKenna has been in charge since 2021, when Ipswich were in League One. He has twice won Championship promotion either side of relegation in 2024/25, pipping Daniel Farke’s Leeds to a top-two finish in 2023/24.

He stayed after that relegation and, following a slow start, took the Tractor Boys straight back up, losing only one of their final 15 matches.

His exit would be a major blow for Ipswich as newly promoted sides face a steep step up, despite Leeds and Sunderland showing survival signs last season. Leeds finished 14th and, while aiming higher, will again prioritise safety, with Coventry City, Ipswich and play-off winners Hull City likely to carry the early relegation tags. Stability and smart summer recruitment proved key last year, with Farke weathering autumn pressure to keep Leeds up in relative comfort.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk