At perhaps the worst possible time, Ipswich Town have hit somewhat of a rough patch heading into 2024 as Southampton are hot on their heels in the Championship promotion race.

The Tractor Boys are winless in four matches going into the start of 2024, and in that time they have faced two of their direct rivals for the top two in the form of Leeds United and Leicester City, picking up just one point and conceding five goals.

And Kieran McKenna was set to be hit massively in January with a number of players potentially heading to the African Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup, but with Massimo Luongo retiring from international duty and Sam Morsy opting not to play for Egypt, it leaves just Cameron Burgess as the only player set to be heading away with Australia.

Ipswich’s priority remains signing a new striker in the January transfer window, and that was even before George Hirst’s hamstring injury which is likely going to keep the 24-year-old out for a while, with Birmingham City loanee Jay Stansfield a potential option to be signed.

However, a centre-back is now on Town’s radar, and they are looking towards League One for a potential star of the future to bolster their back-line

According to a report from Alan Nixon via Patreon, Ipswich are now in the race for talented Wigan Athletic centre-half Charlie Hughes.

The 20-year-old, who is Wigan born and bred and joined the club in 2017 following stints with Man City and Liverpool, has been on the rise since his emergence into the Latics first-team in the 2022-23 season, making his league debut on Boxing Day in 2022.