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Birmingham City have enjoyed one of the standout summer transfer windows of any Championship side, but could finally become victims in a transfer battle with Ipswich Town.
The summer transfer window is in full swing with the 2025/26 Championship season less than a full week away from kicking off.
On Friday evening, Championship action begins again as Birmingham City host Ipswich Town under the floodlights at St Andrew’s.
After Ipswich’s relegation from the top flight, coming amid the Blues’ record-breaking League One title win, both sides will be targeting promotion to the Premier League promised land this season.
The opening affair will be even more fiercely contested, with the two clubs now in a direct transfer battle for Ajax forward Chuba Akpom.
- READ MORE: Chris Davies on the non-negotiable signing Birmingham City had to make to ‘push the team on’
Ipswich Town try to hijack Birmingham City’s loan move for Chuba Akpom
With Swansea leading the race to sign Richard Kone after his outstanding 18-goal campaign for Wycombe Wanderers, and Ipswich losing Liam Delap to Chelsea this summer, Tractor Boys boss Kieran McKenna is in the market for goalscoring reinforcements.
Moreover, Ipswich missed out on Marc Guiu from Chelsea after his impending loan deal to Sunderland was announced last week.
Now, McKenna’s side are attempting to hijack Birmingham’s move for Akpom, despite the forward being booked in for a medical at St Andrew’s today (August 4).
Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth revealed on X: Ipswich Town make late approach to Ajax over the signing of striker Chuba Akpom!
“He was due to have a medical at Birmingham City today. Middlesbrough & Olympiakos also interested.
“If deal agreed with more than one club, player will decide.”
Birmingham and Middlesbrough targeted Akpom over the weekend, with the Ajax forward set to leave the Dutch giants ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
The Englishman scored 29 goals for Middlesbrough in the 2022/23 season before joining Ajax, where he impressed with a 15-goal return in his debut campaign.
However, after suffering reduced minutes, Akpom joined French top flight side Lille for the second half of last season, but scored only three goals in 16 outings, taking his tally for both clubs combined last season to 11 goals in 48 games.
Ipswich Town could be the better option for Chuba Akpom over Birmingham City
With Nathan Broadhead joining Wrexham and the loss of Delap, Ipswich are in desperate need of a proven goalscorer in the second tier, and the former Arsenal prospect could be an incredible addition.
Given that Jay Stansfield is already at the Blues, buoyed by his 23-goal campaign and Birmingham signing Kyogo Furuhashi, Akpom may find it harder to nail down a definite starting role with those two forwards ahead of him in Chris Davies’ pecking order.
In his most recent season in English football, Akpom fired 29 goals in 42 outings for Boro, with 28 of those coming in the Championship.
As quoted by ITV, after he hit the 20-goal mark, Akpom’s former Boro boss Michael Carrick said in 2023: “It’s a terrific achievement. It’s not easy to score that many goals.
“He’s scored all different type of goals for us since I’ve been here. He gets credit for his goals but his performance all round was terrific.”
If Akpom makes the move to Ipswich, and McKenna can help the attacker rediscover his great goal-scoring form, he will play a pivotal role in the Tractor Boys’ promotion push.