Ipswich agree fee for Paraguay forward Enciso

Ipswich Town have reached an agreement to sign forward Julio Enciso from Strasbourg.

The 22-year-old Paraguay international impressed under current Ipswich manager Gary O’Neil at Strasbourg last season.

The former Bournemouth and Wolves boss, who was appointed manager at Portman Road this summer, pushed for an early reunion.

The move would also mark Enciso’s return to Portman Road after a six-month loan spell from Brighton in 2025.

Enciso was highly regarded at French club Strasbourg, which shares ownership with Chelsea through the BlueCo group, and club officials believed he had the potential to earn a move to Stamford Bridge in the future.

Although the fee has not been disclosed at this stage, those involved believe it will account for a sizeable portion of Ipswich’s remaining transfer budget and deliver Strasbourg a substantial profit on the £13.8m they paid for him last summer.

Ipswich have already made 10 major signings this summer, including Daizen Maeda from Celtic, Abdul Fatawu from Leicester City and club-record signing Emersonn from Toulouse.

It remains unclear whether a deal for Enciso would surpass the £24m the Tractor Boys paid for Emersonn earlier in the transfer window.

Having secured promotion from the Championship, Ipswich begin their Premier League campaign at home to Sunderland on 22 August.