Highly sought-after Kieran McKenna likely to reject new Ipswich Town deal

The Premier League season has only come to its conclusion yet there is already a managerial merry-go-round taking place among certain clubs.

It remains to be seen if Manchester United will be joining the mix following Saturday’s FA Cup final against rivals Man City. There has been constant speculation over Erik ten Hag partly fueled by INEOS’ unwillingness to back the manager in the public eye.

One newly promoted Premier League club could be losing their manager, who has close links to United, after reports from BBC Sport claim to suggest Kieran McKenna is likely to reject any new deal amid interest from Chelsea and Brighton.

McKenna, 38, is also believed to be admired by United but a decision from his former employee must be made on Erik ten Hag’s future first. He is under contract at Ipswich Town until 2027, however, talks are expected to take place this week and the Tractor Boys are expected to offer a new deal to convince the highly sought-after coach to stay at Portman Road.

Unfortunately for Ipswich Town, BBC Sport understands that any proposal expected to fail with the manager, and assistant Martyn Pert, feeling the time is right to move on.

McKenna has been heavily linked with two Premier League jobs in recent days following some key name departures. Chelsea waved goodbye to Mauricio Pochettino after one season and Roberto De Zerbi jumped ship at Brighton.

The report from BBC Sport adds that any club will need to pay at least £4 million in compensation to take McKenna and Pert.

McKenna, a key member of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s harshly criticised backroom staff at United, won the Championship manager of the year and the LMA Manager of the year after pulling off back-to-back promotions.

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