Mark Heath

Harry Clarke has left his hometown club Ipswich Town to sign for Championship side Preston North End. The 25-year-old right-back, who helped Ipswich secure back-to-back promotions to the Premier League, thanked the club, staff, teammates and supporters in an emotional farewell message, describing his time at Ipswich as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Harry Clarke has left Ipswich Town to join Championship club Preston North End on a three-year contract. The 25-year-old right-back made 67 appearances for Ipswich over three and a half years and played an important role in the club's consecutive promotions to the Premier League. Clarke said he was excited to join Preston, while manager Paul Heckingbottom praised his experience and promotion record.

Ipswich Town reportedly made an official bid for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Exequiel Palacios, but the offer was rejected. Reports claim Leverkusen want around €35 million (£30 million) for the Argentina international, who is said to prefer a move to a bigger club and is also attracting interest from four other Premier League and Bundesliga teams. Palacios, a 2022 World Cup winner who developed at River Plate, made 18 Bundesliga appearances last season.

Ipswich Town manager Gary O'Neil says club-record signing Emersonn needs further work on his fitness and all-round game after returning from the summer in below-par condition. The 22-year-old Brazilian striker impressed in a 3-0 preseason win over Rayo Vallecano, scoring once and assisting Leif Davis. O'Neil believes Emersonn's pace, pressing, physicality and ability to run behind defenses will cause opponents problems, while acknowledging that the young forward may be inconsistent during his transition to English football. He remains confident Emersonn will become a fantastic player for Ipswich Town.