Ipswich Town Closing In on Swedish International Loan Deal

Ipswich Town Closing In on Swedish International Loan Deal

Ipswich Town are on the verge of signing Swedish international midfielder Jens Cajuste on loan from Serie A side Napoli.

The 25-year-old was previously close to joining Brentford on loan with a view to a £10 million permanent transfer, but the move fell through after Cajuste reportedly failed a medical.

According to reports in the Italian media, Cajuste is now in advanced talks with Ipswich and is poised to join the Tractor Boys on loan. There is no option to buy included in the proposed deal, although personal terms are still being finalised.

Cajuste, who boasts 23 caps for Sweden, began his career at Örgryte IS in his native Gothenburg before moving to Danish side Midtjylland and then Reims in France. He joined Napoli for a fee of €12 million (£10 million) a year ago, signing a five-year contract.

During his time at Napoli, Cajuste made 26 appearances last season, registering two assists but failing to find the back of the net.

Ipswich have been keen to bolster their midfield options this summer, having yet to make any additions in that area of the pitch. They are also reportedly interested in Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips and have been assessing former Brighton midfielder Steven Alzate.

If the deal goes through, Cajuste would become Ipswich's first loan signing of the summer transfer window. Premier League rules allow clubs to make a maximum of two domestic loan signings at any one time and four in total over the course of a season. They are also permitted to sign up to six international loan players, with exemptions for under-21 players.

The last Swedish player to represent Ipswich was striker Jonas Axeldal, who was part of the squad that achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2000. The only other Swede to play for the Blues was loanee forward Niklas Gudmundsson, who was in the side that reached the play-offs in 1996/97.