Ipswich boss hopeful over 'complicated' deal for Aston Villa winger

Philogene was a summer target for Ipswich but he instead returned to his former club Villa from Hull on a buy-back clause.

The England Under-21 international has, though, found regular game time limited this season, sparking Ipswich's interest again during the January window.

With Villa having now completed the signing of Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund, it would appear the path is clear for Philogene to leave.

The 22-year-old has been pictured in a Suffolk hotel as he closes in on a move to Town, for a fee said to be worth around £22million.

McKenna, though, admits the process has been "slightly longer" than the club envisaged, but revealed there was progress to get the deal over the line.

"I will nearly always take the approach of not speaking about another team's player, but I think in this case it is fair to say a couple of things because they (Villa) have publicly said that he might be a player who is leaving," McKenna said.

"Jaden is a player we are talking to. He is a player that we like, who we have tried to bring to the club in previous windows and we think he has got qualities to really fit in here, so if it is possible to bring him to the club, we would like to do so.

"It has been a slightly longer process than we would have wanted, but steadfast within all that has been that Jaden believes in the project here."

McKenna told a press conference: "It is a complicated deal for the football club to do because he is a young player who has just signed a five-year contract with Aston Villa in the summer, so that is not an easy deal for Ipswich Town to do.

"Aston Villa have to get the best deal possible for their club. The player's representatives have to get the best deal and make sure the security is right for the player.

"And for us, it is very important that every deal we do is right for the now, but also helps the progression of the football club in the longer term and also protects the club.

"I think there has been some progress today. If all those things can match up, he is a player that we would like to have at the club.

"It is not quite completed yet, but things are progressing pretty well."

Town defender George Edmundson , meanwhile, is expected to make his season-long loan at Middlesbrough a permanent switch before the transfer window closes.

After seeing off Bristol Rovers 3-0 in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday, Ipswich return to their Premier League survival battle against Brighton at Portman Road on Thursday night.

Winger Omari Hutchinson could be involved after missing two games with a groin problem, but Sammie Szmodics remains sidelined with an ankle injury.

Brighton have slipped to 10th in the table after eight league games without a win, drawing six, but did beat Norwich 4-0 in the FA Cup.

"The league is so competitive this year, so the margins to win games is really tough," McKenna said.

"They have probably had too many draws, which is why they might not be as high as they would want, but that certainly doesn't change our perspective on the size of the challenge that we are going to face."