Portsmouth transfer gossip: Blues face potential fight to bring Leicester loanee George Hirst back to Fratton Park as Ipswich enter race

That's according to twtd.co.uk, who claim Tractor Boys boss Kieran McKenna has the 23-year-old on a shortlist of potential striker options as he looks to boost his side’s firepower ahead of next season.

The Portman Road side are seeking attacking reinforcements after finishing the League One season in 11th and seeing all those teams who finished above them in the table score more over the course of the campaign.

McKenna has also allowed James Norwood to leave the club, while 12-goal striker Macauley Bonne has returned to Queens Park Rangers following the completion of his season-long loan.

Hirst, who spent this term on loan at Fratton Park, fits the bill for Ipswich after seeing his stock rise dramatically over the second half of the campaign.

He netted 13 of his 15 goals Blues goals following the turn of the year and finished the season as Pompey’s top scorer.

Those stats and his popularity among the Fratton faithful make him a priority for Danny Cowley’s own transfer plans heading into the summer window.

The Blues boss has said he wants the Leicester front man to return to the south coast for a second time.

Meanwhile, Hirst himself told The News that he would love to come back.

A potential deal, however, has been made complicated by Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers claiming he wants to give the former Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham front man to chance to impress in pre-season.

And it must be said that potential interest from Ipswich and the competition that could bring will not exactly be welcome by Cowley & Co.

The Blues missed out on former Rangers defender George Edmondson last summer after the Tractor Boys gazumped them in that race.

Meanwhile, at one stage it appeared Joe Morrell was heading to Portman Road before he dramatically u-turned on a potential deal to head to Pompey.