Brentford face a fight to sign Ipswich winger Omari Hutchinson after the £35million relegation clause in his contract expired on Tuesday.
Hutchinson had the clause inserted in his contract last summer when he joined Ipswich from Chelsea as part of a deal worth over £20m.
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The clause, however, was only valid until 5pm on Tuesday afternoon and it has now expired without being activated.
Standard Sport understands Ipswich received multiple approaches from Brentford on Tuesday prior to the deadline, but they failed to meet the terms of the clause.
Now the deadline has passed, Ipswich have no desire to sell Hutchinson and want a fee close to £40m. Brentford feel he is available at around the £35m mark that was in his contract clause.
Standard Sport understands Hutchinson is keen on a move back to London, having spent his formative years at Arsenal and Chelsea, and believes Brentford is the best next step in his development.
Hutchinson turned down initial interest from Leeds United and Sunderland as he is wary of being involved in another relegation battle next season. But he doesn’t believe that will be an issue at Brentford.
Chelsea, who sold Hutchinson to Ipswich last summer, hold matching rights to any accepted offer, but are expected to waive them.
Brentford are thought to have been looking at Hutchinson as a possible replacement for Bryan Mbeumo, who is a target for Manchester United.
Mbeumo is keen on a move to Old Trafford this summer, but they have so far not been able to agree a fee with Brentford.
The Bees have had a summer of upheaval, with head coach Thomas Frank leaving to take charge of Tottenham.
Captain Christian Norgaard has also left the club after completing a move to Arsenal last week. Striker Yoane Wissa has been attracting interest from Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.
Brentford have, however, strengthened their squad, with their signings including goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and midfielder Jordan Henderson.
The Bees have proven themselves to be one of the best-run clubs in the Premier League since gaining promotion and have backed new head coach Keith Andrews to be a success.
