According to The Pitch Prospect, former Everton defender Ben Godfrey is in advanced talks about a move to Ipswich.
The Englishman moved to Serie A side Atalanta from Everton in a £10million deal in June but is now set to return to English football after just over six months away.
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Godfrey has been told that he can leave the Italian team and that he is no longer part of the club’s plans.
Up to eight clubs have expressed interest in the centre-back, including rumored Leeds and Tottenham.
However, Godfrey is believed to be in favor of a move to Portman Road after being impressed by manager Kieran McKenna.
And the 26-year-old will certainly be keen for a fresh start after his move to Italy failed to live up to expectations.
With Atalanta qualifying for this year’s Champions League after their Europa League win in May, this appeared to be the next step forward in Godfrey’s career.
But since joining Lombardi’s team, he has only appeared once in the league and five times in all competitions, all of which were on the bench.
He was most recently axed by Atalanta because of the 2-0 Super Cup defeat against Inter Milan on Thursday.
And with Ipswich having scored the fourth-most goals of any Premier League side this season, Godfrey would certainly add much-needed experience to his backline.
After starting his career with hometown club York City, he was signed by Tractor Boys’ bitter rivals Norwich in 2016 at the age of 18.
Godfrey’s breakthrough with the Canaries came in the 2018/19 season, in which he appeared in 31 league games and his team won the championship title.
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Despite Norwich being relegated from the Premier League the following season, the young defender impressed and signed a contract with Everton in 2020, rising to £25m.
Godfrey spent four years at Goodison Park, making 93 appearances in all competitions.
During this time he also made his senior England debut, having previously played for the under-20 and under-21 teams.
The York native was named in Gareth Southgate’s preliminary 33-man squad for Euro 2020 and made his senior debut in a pre-tournament friendly win over Austria, although he ultimately did not make the 25-man squad managed.
Godfrey will certainly face a very different challenge if he swaps Serie A leaders Atalanta for Ipswich.
Kieran McKenna’s side are in a relegation battle and sit 18th in the Premier League table after being promoted from the Championship at the end of last season.