Great news! Kieran McKenna  confirms Ipswichs’ major interest in signing one of these three top stikers available at the same price range. Which of them would you prefer to see enter the Portman Road?

To make their unexpected promotion to the Premier League stay, Ipswich Town will need to conduct a lot of shrewd transfer business over the next several weeks, and they will have one of the tightest budgets in the league. Fortunately, they may have discovered a highly intriguing signing to help improve their midfield – and he would not cost a thing. Renato Tapia is a free agent after his contract with Celta Vigo expired, and according to Sport Witness (which cited rumors from Tapia’s native Peru), the Tractor Boys are one of the teams interested in signing him for a signing-on fee this summer.

Tapia, a defensive midfielder by trade, isn’t an attacking threat or a major creative force; he is an aggressive passer who looks for a high percentage of direct forward passes, but he lacks the accuracy and finesse to create a large number of chances and hasn’t scored or assisted in the last three seasons. He excels at breaking up opposing play, and he’s proven to be a valuable shield for the Celta defence over the last four seasons after joining from Feyenoord on a free transfer. Tapia, an adept tackler with a big physical presence, is a formidable opponent.

His average of 2.76 tackles per game over the last year is close to the current Ipswich captain, 32-year-old Sam Morsy, but he is obviously playing at a better level – and he generates considerably more turnovers than the Egyptian midfielder, with nearly twice as many interceptions per game. He’s also a superb emergency defender, knowing when to drop deep into the back line to make blocks and clearances, and when he’s further upfield, he’s more than willing to run all over the pitch hunting for tackles and putting out fires. He rarely enters the last third, but otherwise covers every blade of grass.