Ipswich begin talks with Chelsea over Omari Hutchinson as they prepare to make club record signing

Ipswich are set to quadruple their transfer record as they look to sign Chelsea star Omari Hutchinson for £20million, talkSPORT understands.

The 20-year-old was loaned to Portman Highway last summer, where he was instrumental in helping the Tractor Boys gain promotion to the Premier League.

Hutchinson, who traded ArsenalChelsea's academy in 2022 contributed ten goals and six assists in 44 championship games.

And now Ipswich are desperate to turn the winger's temporary stay into a permanent move, with the Suffolk side in talks with the Blues.

Ipswich are believed to be willing to shell out £20m for the Jamaica international.

Meanwhile, the potential deal will not include a buy-back clause, although Chelsea would benefit from a future sell-on clause.

If Ipswich were to sign Hutchinson for £20m, it would break their current transfer record, which has stood for 23 years.

His current record is £4.75m, having lured Matteo Sereni from Sampdoria in 2001.

Ipswich fans have expressed their desire for the club to sign Hutchinson after Securing a lucrative investment from a US company in March.

Since moving to Stamford Bridge two years ago, Hutchinson has been limited to just two appearances for Chelsea in all competitions.

2

But he showed he is more than ready for first-team football during his loan spell at Ipswich, where he helped lead them to the top flight for the first time since 2002.

Hutchinson recently called his loan at Ipswich “perfect” when speaking to Chelsea's media teamAs he said: “It was a great season and a great year.

“From the moment I walked into the building, all the guys were there. When I was training, they gave me a lot of confidence to take advantage of in my matches.

“We showed perseverance and ruthlessness, kept our composure and made it to the Premier League.

“The culture was to be humble, to be willing to work for the team and the badge because it is a community club.

“All the fans love the club and we have to represent the shield very well and show humility.

“I'd probably say it was the perfect loan. It couldn't really get much better, could it? Getting promoted was the ideal.”

“My intention was to get into the team, get as many minutes and as much experience as possible from my teammates and the coach, and that ended up being the case.

“I just wanted to help the team as much as possible.”