Panathinaikos has turned down Ipswich Town’s €22.5 million proposal for striker Fotis Ioannidis, according to Greek publication Sport 24.
The 24-year-old concluded the season with 15 goals and seven assists, attracting major attention from throughout Europe.
Girona, Lazio, and Sporting CP have all been linked with a move, but the Greens have reportedly notified all interested parties that he is not for sale. Ioannidis began his career at Levadiakos before switching to Panathinaikos in 2020. He has since played in the Champions League and won the Greek Cup thrice.
He has also scored twice in seven caps for Greece, most recently beginning in a 2-1 loss to Germany before being replaced after only 10 minutes due to injury.
Alex’s verdict.
This will undoubtedly be the summer when Ipswich begins to investigate the international market, and Ioannidis is the type of striker who should be on their radar.
He’s young, talented, and obviously a great finisher. At 6’2″, he definitely possesses the athleticism to lead the line, and he’s done so for a strong team like Panathinaikos for quite some time.
With that in mind, he might well be on a list of potential summer transfer targets, but a €22.5 million bid (approximately £19 million) appears to be a stretch.
A move like that would take up a substantial amount of Town’s transfer budget, and since Ioannidis hasn’t played professional football outside of Greece, it would pose a real risk. The Blues will undoubtedly want to recruit another striker this summer, but this does not appear to be a realistic option. Even if Ipswich is interested, Panathinaikos’ robust response suggests that he will most likely stay in Athens until a major bid emerges.
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