Oxford United are interested in signing Ipswich Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi on loan this summer.
According to Indonesian website Bolasport, the forward is not in Kieran McKenna’s Premier League first-team plans for next season, which might lead to his departure from Portman Road.
Al-Hamadi joined the Tractor Boys in January of this year, following a promising run in League Two with AFC Wimbledon.
The Iraqi international scored four goals in 14 appearances for the Suffolk club, which achieved promotion to the Premier League.
Prior to joining Ipswich, he scored 13 goals and assisted six times in 23 games for the Dons in the fourth tier, propelling him up the pyramid.
Oxford United is prepared for life back in the Championship after winning promotion to the second division via the play-offs.
Des Buckingham will try to improve his squad for the upcoming season, as the club returns to the second tier for the first time since 1999.
Al-Hamadi could be available on loan, with Ipswich hoping to get him out of McKenna’s squad after only six months.
McKenna led the club to promotion for the second consecutive year in 2024, and he will now look to guarantee he has a team ready of compete in the top division.
This could mean that exits are required to make room for new signings this summer.
Al-Hamadi does not appear to be part of Ipswich’s first-team ambitions, so a loan move may be beneficial to all sides for now.
The forward has a contract with the Tractor Boys until the summer of 2028, but has battled for consistent game time since his January arrival, with Kieffer Moore preferred following his own move from Bournemouth.
Al-Hamadi made 14 appearances in the Championship, 13 of which came from the bench, totaling 293 minutes of play.
Will Vaulks, 30, will join Oxford United as a free agent this summer after leaving Sheffield Wednesday.
The U’s have also been linked with a deal for Brighton midfielder Marc Leonard, but they face heavy competition to sign him.
Birmingham City and Wrexham are also reportedly interested in signing the 22-year-old, who is likely to cost approximately £300,000.
Meanwhile, Oxford will be trying to keep Josh Murphy, who has drawn interest from several teams, including fellow newly promoted sides Portsmouth and Derby County.
Ali Al-Hamadi signing could be smart for Oxford United
Al-Hamadi struggled to get consistent playing time for McKenna’s team after signing in January, but he faced hard competition among a quality roster.
Making the transition back to the Championship might be the next step in his career, as he is more than capable of competing as a starter at this level.
He was nevertheless able to contribute positively to Ipswich’s promotion campaign, netting four goals in limited minutes.
Al-Hamadi shown at Wimbledon that he was ready to move up a level, and his performances for Ipswich suggest that he would be at ease as a regular starter for a Championship club, so this might be a positive transfer for Buckingham’s team if it is completed.
