Ipswich Town are not currently looking to sign Carlos Espi, despite reports over the last 24 hours linking the Levante striker with a move. The 21-year-old is expected to move elsewhere, with Ipswich’s recruitment plans now pointing in a different direction.
The interest in Espi makes sense on paper. He scored 11 goals in 25 league appearances for Levante last season, with 13 of those outings coming as starts, and he has already broken into senior football after coming through the ranks at Levante and earlier youth football at UD Alzira. Born in Tavernes de la Valldigna, about 54km from Valencia, he also features for Spain at youth level and made his senior debut in 2024.
That profile helped fuel the recent talk that Ipswich were ready to move, but the club’s position has cooled the story. Earlier in the summer, they did look at Espi, yet nothing progressed, and they are not seeking another young striker as things stand. The reason is simple enough: their main focus is on midfield, where Premier League experience is believed to be an important criterion. In other words, the club’s budget and attention are being directed away from another developing forward and toward players seen as ready to make an immediate impact.
That shift also explains why the Espi link never gathered pace. Ipswich have already bought the 22-year-old Emersonn from Toulouse for a club-record fee, a move that further reduces the need for another striker of similar age and stage of development. The latest transfer chatter around the club is more focused on Rennes forward Breel Embolo, who Ipswich are reportedly among those considering, with Ben Jacobs saying they are keeping an eye on him.
Embolo’s situation is a different one entirely. The 29-year-old is attracting interest from Atlanta United, Hull City and multiple Serie A clubs, and a sale around €15m, or about £12.8m, is possible. Born in Cameroon, he came through Basel before moving to Germany with Schalke and then Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016, spent three years with AS Monaco and joined Rennes last summer. He scored eight goals and made three assists in 31 league games last season, and as a 92-cap Switzerland international with 26 goals for his country, he brings the kind of experience Ipswich are now prioritising.
For Espi, the immediate picture is less dramatic but more telling. The noise around Ipswich briefly suggested a Premier League move was close, yet the club has not advanced that path and is looking elsewhere. Unless their recruitment plan changes sharply, his next step is far more likely to come away from Ipswich Town than toward it.
