Ipswich 'agree £18m deal' for former Aston Villa ace after Everton snub as Liverpool and Chelsea eye £46m star

Premier League new-boys Ipswich Town are expected to beat Everton to the signature of Hull City starlet Jaden Philogene.

BBC Sport reports that the Suffolk club have had an offer in the region of £18m accepted for the 22-year-old after he registered an impressive 12 goals and six assists in the Championship last term.

Everton appeared to be in pole position to sign the former Aston Villa wide man earlier this week and on Tuesday had an offer of around £16m accepted by Hull City. However, it appears that Philogene’s preferred destination is Portman Road after also being the subject of interest from Southampton.

Crystal Palace are another club that was thought to be interested in the star after the sale of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, but they opted against making a move as they felt Philogene’s price tag was too expensive.

Ipswich Town have enjoyed a productive summer transfer window so far after securing the long-term future of in-demand manager Kieran McKenna whilst also signing the likes of Omari Hutchinson from Chelsea for £20m and Ben Johnson on a free from West Ham.

The Tractor Boys will hope to complete the deal in the coming days to boost their survival push, though it is understood that Philogene’s former club Aston Villa also have a buy-back clause which gives them three days to decide if they want to match any bid once it has been agreed. The Villains currently have Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey as their first choice wingers but are believed to be in the market for further options as they prepare to compete in the Champions League for the first time since 1983.

Liverpool and Chelsea join the race to sign Spain superstar

Spain are through to the final of Euro 2024 - and one of their standout performers Nico Williams is rapidly becoming one of the most coveted youngsters in world football after a string of impressive performances, which has seen him register a goal and an assist during the tournament.

The 21-year-old, who has played in five games for Spain on their road to the Euro 2024 final, is attracting interest from Premier League giants Liverpool and Chelsea who are determined to add flair to their ranks.

Williams, like his brother Inaki, is a product of the Athletic Bilbao academy and has been a regular starter for the Red and Whites in the last three seasons. The youngster played a pivotal role in his team’s Copa Del Rey success last term and scored in both the quarter-final and semi-final against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid respectively during his teams road to victory.

Williams is a major part of Ernersto Valverde’s plans at the San Mamés Stadium due to his creavity, speed and flair, but within his contract he has a release clause of around £46m in his contract, according to Spanish outlet Marca.

Earlier this summer, Newcastle were also credited with interest in Williams, who The Athletic claimed was on a three man shortlist of right winger options alongside West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Leeds United star Crysencio Summerville.