Ipswich Town will play Premier League football again next season and the East Anglia outfit are rumoured to be lining up a move for Real Betis midfield ace Nelson Deossa.
The Colombian midfielder made the move to La Liga last summer but struggled to make a major impact at Betis and reports in Spain suggest the Tractor Boys are interested in his signature.
Kieran McKenna led the Portman Road side to an immediate Premier League return following their 2024/25 one-season stay in the top tier.
His side made a slow start on their return to the Championship but eventually found their groove and ascended the ranks to finish second, no match for runaway winners Coventry City but a point better off than Millwall in third, gaining automatic promotion.
Deossa struggled to make Betis impact
Deossa started only eight La Liga games in his first season at Betis, coming off the bench a further dozen times, failing to score.
Head coach Manuel Pellegrini made sparing use of the midfielder, leading to inevitable post-season suggestions that he could be set for another move.
The switch to Andalusia was Deossa's first experience in Europe. He began at boyhood club Atletico Huila in Colombia, before a series of loan moves preceded a permanent switch to Mexican side Pachuca.
He moved to Monterrey in the Mexican first tier in January 2025, signing a four-year deal, before last summer's switch to Spain in a deal reported to have been worth somewhere in the region of £10m.
That came off the back of an impressive FIFA Club World Cup campaign and West Ham were linked with Deossa at that time.
McKenna aiming to avoid drop repeat
This will be McKenna's second attempt at the Premier League with Ipswich.
Last time around his side registered just four wins and picked up their lowest ever points total in the top-flight, 22 as they finished second-from-bottom ahead of Southampton and behind Leicester City.
They did manage a further 10 draws and the now 40-year-old Tractor Boys boss will know that turning some of those stalemates into wins could be the key to survival next season, with his side third-favourites at 4/6 to go straight back down to the Championship.
Only fellow promoted sides Hull City at 1/4 and Coventry City at 8/13 are shorter than Ipswich for the drop.
Squad strengthening key for next season
Ipswich lacked a game-changer in their previous Premier League soiree and it comes as no surprise to see the Portman Road outfit featuring in the early summer transfer rumour mill.
Making additions to their squad will be key if they are to have a real chance of survival.
They will take note of Sunderland's approach, with the Black Cats adding some quality in the form of Granit Xhaka last summer and going on to have an excellent season, finishing seventh.
Ipswich can be backed at 18/1 for a Top Half finish next season, with McKenna's side priced at 11/10 not be relegated.
Deossa, standing at just over six-feet tall, should have the physical presence for English football. He's a box-to-box midfielder with a smooth passing game from his stronger left foot.
Seville-based news outlet ABC Sevilla have put Ipswich's name in the frame, while a return to South America is also possible as Argentinian giants River Plate join Brazilian outfits Flamengo and Vasco da Gama in being linked to the player.
With Monterrey due to collect a 15 per cent sell-on fee should he leave Betis, the Spanish club will be keen to secure the highest price in the event they opt to allow Deossa to leave southern Spain this summer.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
