According to reports in The Daily Mail, Ipswich Town have had a £650,000 bid for Shrewsbury Town centre-back Toto Nsiala rejected with the League One outfit demanding £1m, and the Tractor Boys’ Championship rivals must swoop in and snatch the defender.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Daily Mail says that former Shrews boss Paul Hurst wants to bring the 26-year-old to Portman Road to boost his new side’s defensive options, following Adam Webster’s big-money exit to Bristol City earlier this summer.

The DR Congo international has handed in a transfer request to try and force a move through, but Town are sticking firm on their valuation and it appears as though they will have to significantly improve their opening offer to get him.

The Daily Mail says that the 6ft 4in centre-back wants to test himself at Championship level, having missed out on the chance to get there with Shrewsbury last term when they were beaten by Rotherham United in the League One play-off final.

Why must Leeds hijack the deal?

Well, the Yorkshire outfit are in desperate need of strengthening at the heart of their defence with Pontus Jansson, captain Liam Cooper and Conor Shaughnessy their only senior and specialist options available right now, even if Gaetano Berardi has successfully filled in there during pre-season.

With less than a week of the transfer window left they will surely be upping their search for a new centre-back, and Nsiala could be a risky but shrewd move by Marcelo Bielsa, who must also consider splashing out £8m on another Championship centre-back.

As well as being strong, dominant in the air and loving to throw his body on the line for his team, the 26-year-old has also improved while in possession of the ball during his time with Shrewsbury and has shown on more than one occasion that he is capable of producing some fine long balls

That means he should fit in perfectly with Bielsa’s preferred style of play, and he could be a bargain buy for just £1m.

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