Ipswich Town have turned down a substantial bid from Nottingham Forest for attacking star Omari Hutchinson, with the Premier League side’s offer reportedly in the region of £35 million.
The report, broken by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, claims that Forest are the latest top-flight club to express strong interest in the 21-year-old, who impressed during the 2024/25 campaign as Ipswich secured an eighth-place finish in the Premier League.
Forest’s bid matches the value of Hutchinson’s now-expired release clause, which Brentford also attempted to trigger earlier this summer. However, with that clause no longer active, Ipswich are believed to be holding out for a higher fee, potentially closer to £40 million.
Brentford remain in the race, while European sides such as Inter Milan and RB Leipzig have also been linked with a move for the Jamaica international, alongside reported interest from Everton.
McKenna: “He’s our player, and we have big goals”
Speaking ahead of the Championship season opener at Birmingham City on Friday, Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna confirmed that Hutchinson has trained recently but missed the last two days due to a medical issue.
“Omari was training on Monday and trained well,” McKenna said. “Then, unfortunately, he’s had a medical issue the last two days, so hasn’t been with the group. Hopefully, if there’s a good recovery from that, he’ll be with us on Friday night.”
McKenna also addressed the speculation surrounding the winger, saying: “He’s certainly a player of ours who has interest from different clubs, but there’s nothing really to update. He’s an Ipswich player and the club has real goals this season. Everyone who is an Ipswich player at the moment has to be fully ready to contribute.”
Hutchinson was left out of the squad for Ipswich’s final pre-season friendly against Auxerre, with McKenna stating the player “didn’t feel mentally in the right place” amid ongoing speculation.
Hutchinson’s stock continues to rise
Hutchinson’s form in 2024/25 has made him one of the most in-demand young attackers in English football. Having joined Ipswich permanently from Chelsea last summer, he made an immediate impact with his creativity, flair, and direct goal involvement.
📊 Key FotMob & FBref Stats – 2024/25 Premier League (Omari Hutchinson, Ipswich Town)
- Appearances (Premier League): 31
- Goals: 3
- Assists: 2
- Minutes played: ~2,593
Per 90 & Percentiles (vs Premier League attackers) — via FBref
- Non-penalty goals p/90: 0.10 — 67th percentile
- Shot-creating actions p/90: 2.82 — Top 16% (84th percentile)
- Shot attempts p/90: 1.57 — 65th percentile
- Pass completion %: 78.0% — 26th percentile
- Key passes p/90: 1.11 — 67th percentile
- Crosses p/90: 2.66 — 75th percentile
- Dribble success rate: 42.9% — percentile data unavailable
- Dribbles total: 863 across season — among top dribblers in PL
🟥 ZONE RUMOURED
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