Ipswich Town were tantalisingly close to securing the services of Jaden Philogene-Bidace this frantic summer transfer window, only for his ex-employers in Aston Villa to swoop in and spoil the Tractor Boys' party at the death.
Philogene will now line up for the West Midlands outfit again, over moving to Suffolk, eager to impress at Villa Park after once being ditched and moved out to Hull City, whilst Kieran McKenna's men eye up different targets away from the tricky 22-year-old winger now.
Ipswich are keeping tabs on one in-demand star away from their past pursuit of Philogene, who is a wanted man by many different Premier League clubs.
Ipswich in the race for AC Milan gem
Reports last week from CalcioMercato journalist Daniele Longo suggested that the likes of Nottingham Forest and Leicester City will battle away with Ipswich for the services of AC Milan gem Alexis Saelemaekers this summer.
The Tractor Boys are even believed to have made an enquiry about the Belgian midfielder, who looks to be heading for the exit door at the San Siro this off-season, but it will be a tough tussle for the Premier League new boys to win in order to land the in-demand 25-year-old.
What Saelemaekers can offer Ipswich
Saelemaekers would offer McKenna and Co a far more versatile and dependable figure than Philogene in the middle of the park, which could prove to be useful when potentially battling against the drop in the top division.
Ipswich, arguably, already have easy-on-the-eye stars up top in a similar vain to the ex-Hull man, in the form of Nathan Broadhead and Conor Chaplin, whilst Saelemaekers would offer something different as a utility figure who can add strength all over the pitch.
It's not as if the new Ipswich target isn't capable of scoring a sublime strike like Philogene managed time and time again for Hull in the Championship either, as can be seen with his wonderful feet above, bamboozling the Napoli defence before firing home when donning a Milan jersey.
The 25-year-old did manage to pick up three goals and four assists for his loan employers last season under Thiago Motta's guidance at Bologna, but showed off his adaptability by predominantly playing down the left flank during this impactful loan spell and starring down this wing, in the same spot where Philogene managed to cause most of his havoc from on Humberside.
LW
27
4
3
RW
2
0
0
SS
1
0
0
CF
1
0
0
LM
1
0
0
As can be seen glancing at the table above, Saelemaekers stepped up to the mark out on loan in multiple different areas of the pitch when needed to do so, with his time back at the San Siro even seeing him play at right-back on occasion in order to fill gaps.
This ability to dust himself down and play wherever is required could be why McKenna is so attracted by the prospect of adding the Belgian to his Ipswich roster for the forthcoming season, with there being a lack of depth down both the left and right channels at Portman Road currently, away from Omari Hutchinson's recent statement buy offering more quality.
Saelemaekers also has a lot more experience in and around the game than Philogene, who only has three Premier League games under his belt on the contrary.
The flexible Belgian has amassed 141 top-flight games in the hustle and bustle of the Serie A, on the other hand, whilst also tasting Champions League action along the way, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig describing the 25-year-old as "elite" when at his peak in Italy.
Therefore, Saelemaekers might not be as flashy as the purchase of Philogene would have looked from Ipswich's point of view, but it could prove to be a shrewd purchase over time.
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