Ipswich Town: Premier League side Everton want up to £10m for Ellis Simms as ex-Watford defender Craig Cathcart also linked

Ipswich Town could be priced out a move for a young Premier League striker and have also been linked to an ex-Watford defender.

Craig Cathcart – Premier League Archive

Everton want a fee of up to £10m if they are to sell Ellis Simms this summer as the 22-year-old has been attracting interest from several Championship clubs.

It has been claimed that the Tractor Boys made an offer of £4m for Simms last week, and now according to The Times reporter Paul Joyce, the Toffees value the player at between £7m to £10m.

With Ipswich returning to the Championship for the 2023/24 campaign, as well as the loss of loanee George Hirst to his parent club Leicester, there is a spot open for a new number nine to arrive at Portman Road.

When asked about Simms, Town manager Kieran McKenna said: “Not our player, there’s lots of speculation at this time of year and it’s not our place to speak about any players from other clubs.

“A lot of speculation that goes out is incorrect. We certainly won’t comment on it until anything is further down the line.”

McKenna also dismissed the suggestion that a striker is his priority: “No, we’ve got a few different positions and profiles that we’re looking for,” he said.

Sources: Middlesbrough join chase for Everton striker with Ellis Simms destined for Championship move

“Of course, we had a striker on loan last year (George Hirst) and we’re missing that position, so it’s an easy one to identify, we’re looking at a few different positions across the pitch.

Simms began last season at newly-promoted Sunderland before he was recalled for the second half of the Premier League campaign, where he only started twice and featured nine times off the bench, including a vital late equaliser for Sean Dyche’s men who managed to survive relegation.

The 6ft 3 Oldham-born attacker has a year left on his contract and a permanent move is on the cards with a host of clubs linked with Simms, including Ipswich, Swansea and Sunderland.

Another player the Tractor Boys have been linked with is free agent Craig Cathcart who was recently released from Watford.

According to The Athletic, Town are ‘one of the teams’ interested in the 34-year-old who made 29 appearances in all competitions for the Hornets last season as they finished 11th in a campaign which saw three different managers all struggle to improve the club’s fortunes.

Cathcart first joined Watford on loan from Manchester United in 2010 before returning for a second spell after his departure from Blackpool in 2014 and helped the Hornets to promotion to the Premier League in his first season at the club.

The Northern Irishman then played an integral role at the back, as they spent five consecutive seasons in the top flight and reached the FA Cup final in 2019.

Quizzed on whether he’s looking to add further players to his squad, having added midfielder Jack Taylor already, McKenna said: “Yes, that’s the plan. The club are working hard. We know what we want to add in terms of profiles and positions.

“They’re working hard, but it takes time. We want to add the right players, we have plenty of depth, so it’s about adding different qualities that we want. The club are working on it but we feel that we can still improve the squad, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”