Premier League high-flyers Sheffield United are reportedly battling Queens Park Rangers for Ipswich Town centre-back Luke Woolfenden.
Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers might have to splash the cash if they want to sign Luke Woolfenden with Paul Lambert claiming that the Ipswich Town defender is worth £10 million in today’s market, speaking to East Anglian Daily Times.
In an era where players such as James Tarkowski, Nathan Ake and Ben Godfrey are valued well in excess of £40 million, you can understand why Lambert is determined to stop arguably League One’s best centre-back from leaving Portman Road on the cheap.
The Sun (14 January, page 50) reports that Sheffield United were hoping that a £3 million bid would be enough to convince Ipswich to part with Woolfenden. The Tractor Boys boss, however, appears to have other ideas.
“The way the modern game is? Absolutely, absolutely (he’s worth £10 million),” Lambert quipped.
“Potentially what he could be, 100 per cent he is. The level of money and the way the game’s going, I see players move for money they shouldn’t be anywhere near.
“The way he’s performing football-wise has been brilliant. Sometimes you just need to see if he’s got a heartbeat. He’s taking everything in his stride.”
Lambert appears to have taken inspiration from Lambert’s patented ‘overlapping centre-backs’ of late and, interestingly, Woolfenden has taken to a new role like a duck to water. It was he, after making a lung-busting run down the left, who set up the opener during Saturday’s 4-1 thrashing of Accrington Stanley.
According to TWDT, QPR are also interested in snapping up the Ipswich academy graduate after their erratic backline was torn apart by a first-half Brentford blitz at Griffin Park.
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