Ipswich Town deal major transfer blow to Watford as Ashley Young ‘wages demand’ update emerges

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Ashley Young appeared to be making an emotional return to Watford, but Championship rivals Ipswich Town have beaten the Hornets in their pursuit.

After suffering relegation to the Championship last season, Ipswich Town have endured a turbulent time in the summer transfer window.

Liam Delap joined Chelsea from Ipswich in a £30m deal earlier in the summer, and more recently, Omari Hutchinson’s Brentford move fell through for financial reasons on the Bees’ end.

Despite Hutchinson being seemingly intent on following Delap out the exit door, the Tractor Boys have made some stellar acquisitions of their own this summer, namely Ipswich’s “exciting” signing of Azor Matusiwa.

Ipswich and Watford make up two of the 24 Championship places for the 2025/26 campaign, and some extra mettle will be added to their clashes next summer with the latest development in the Ashley Young transfer saga.

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Ipswich Town set to beat Watford to sign Ashley Young

Last week, it emerged that Watford were lining up a Young return, with the 40-year-old becoming a Premier League free agent this summer upon the expiry of his Everton contract.

So far this summer, Watford have made some impressive signings, with the likes of Hector Kyprianou arriving from Peterborough United, and Nectory Irankunda leaving Bayern Munich for Watford.

Young made 110 appearances at Watford after coming through the ranks before joining Aston Villa in 2007, and was said to be “keen on returning” to Vicarage Road this summer, but now Ipswich are poised to beat their second tier rivals to his signature.

Talk Sport reporter Alex Crook said on X: “Told Ashley Young is now likely to join Ipswich.

“Watford were keen to re-sign him and maybe even make him captain but ultimately his wage demands did not fit their structure.”

Young previously told Sky Sports in 2021 that it would be a “difficult decision” to turn down a return to his boyhood club, but now the Englishman’s “wage demands” have seemingly halted a return to where his career started.

Watford’s loss will certainly be a major gain for Ipswich, as despite Young being 40, his experience and versatility will be welcomed with open arms by Kieran McKenna ahead of the 2025/26 Championship campaign.

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Ashley Young is a massive coup for Kieran McKenna and Ipswich Town

Young’s pedigree in English football is outstanding, and with Watford previously having “no concerns over his age or fitness” as per Crook on X last week, it proves that the Englishman should still be able to operate at a high level.

Last season, full-back Young featured 32 times in the Premier League for Everton, scoring once and registering three assists for the Toffees, adding to his stellar career record.

As well as with Young, Ipswich are set to sign Sunday Joseph at the expense of Brentford this summer, in another impressive piece of business from the Portman Road hierarchy.

With seasoned professional Young arriving alongside highly-coveted talent like Matusiwa, and promising prospect Joseph, Ipswich are building a squad certainly capable of securing automatic promotion back to the Premier League next season.