Southampton, Ipswich and Middlesbrough set for huge boost in pursuit for 21-goal forward, the time to swoop is now

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Three Championship sides could be set to make a move for one EFL bagsman after the most recent revelation.

With the 2024/25 Championship regular season finished, several teams will already be planning ahead to the new campaign.

Championship clubs across the country have been publishing their retained list, and many are already scouring the lists of players they would look to attain ahead of the 2025/26 season.

One man in particular who will be sought-after property ahead of the summer transfer window is League One hotshot and Wycombe Wanderers star Richard Kone, a 21-year-old forward with 21 goals in all competitions, 18 of which fell in the league campaign.

In an EFL Analysis exclusive, we earlier revealed that Southampton, Ipswich and Middlesbrough were all interested in Ivory Coast forward Kone, and now they may have just been handed a needed boost for one of them to snatch his signature.

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Trio of Championship clubs set for boost over Richard Kone pursuit as forward misses out on promotion with Wycombe Wanderers

Thursday evening saw Wycombe Wanderers suffer defeat against Charlton Athletic, with Mike Dodds’ side being edged out 1-0 across both legs in what was a ridiculously even encounter.

Much of Wycombe’s lack of fortunes in front of goal fell to the slight dip in form of Kone, the Chairboys’ bagsman who wasn’t quite up to scratch in the contest.

Nonetheless, it would be safe to assume that Kone’s time at the club could now be limited; with three Championship sides, as well as a host of European teams sniffing around, there is little chance that Kone will be a League One player by the time the summer window slams shut, something that would certainly be a huge boost for those in pursuit of the striker.

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Richard Kone has shown immense potential that Championship clubs must not pass up

Similarly to how Ivan Toney ripped up League One at Peterborough, Kone has shown impeccable quality this season, more so under Matt Bloomfield at the start of the campaign.

Winning League One Player of the Year also made things much sweeter for Kone, who, without a doubt, deserved that recognition after the season he has had.

For a player with such potential, it would be unlikely that any Championship side would pass up the opportunity to sign Kone, and all eyes will certainly be on Southampton, Ipswich and Middlesbrough, or perhaps another side, on who makes the first move.