Ipswich Town, Southampton hold ambitious interest in 18-year-old midfielder

Ipswich Town and Southampton are keen on Motherwell’s Lennon Miller but face an uphill battle to land him, as per The Scottish Sun.

Ipswich Town and Southampton will have eyes on an immediate return to the Premier League after dropping back to the Championship. ITFC and the Saints finished 19th and 20th respectively, rarely looking in with a shot at survival.

Nonetheless, with highly-rated bosses at the helm and talented players on the books, both will be expected to battle it out at the top end of the second tier in the 2025/26 season.

New additions are a must at both Portman Road and St. Mary’s, even if eyes are mainly on the big names who could move on from the clubs.

Now, it is claimed both Ipswich Town and Southampton hold an interest in midfielder Lennon Miller. The teenage prospect is widely expected to move on from Motherwell this summer, and The Scottish Sun says he has no shortage of admirers.

ITFC and the Saints are named among the clubs keen from across England and Europe, but the indications have been that he wants to follow fellow Scots Lewis Ferguson, Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay and more in heading to Italy.

That puts the likes of Como and Udinese – who are also keen – in the driving seat to land his signature.

Ambitious interest from Ipswich Town, Southampton

As a Scottish Premiership player reportedly valued at £4.5m, Miller might not be an ambitious target in terms of the price or where he is coming from.

However, for Ipswich Town or Southampton to beat the wealthy Como or Serie A mainstays Udinese to his signature, you get the feeling they would have to put together quite the offer. Not necessarily in terms of finances, but in terms of convincing Miller a Championship move is the best for his career despite the appeal of an Italian switch when many of his compatriots have found great joy over there.

At 18, Miller has already played 76 times for the Motherwell first-team, chipping in with five goals and 11 assists. He is a full Scotland international and has even captained his club, but with his deal up in 2026, his price tag is perhaps a little lower than Motherwell may have set before.

Midfielders required by both clubs

Ipswich Town are lacking central midfielders with only Sam Morsy, Jack Taylor and Cameron Humphreys on the books as senior options. As such, they will likely sign two new players in the middle, assuming none of the existing trio leave.

Southampton have more depth with Flynn Downes, Shea Charles, Mateus Fernandes, Joe Aribo and Will Smallbone onboard. However, as of the time of writing, all but Smallbone have been linked with moves elsewhere, so Will Still may require additions.

Time will tell whether interest in Miller develops into anything more serious, but ITFC and the Saints would be making a statement deal by bringing him in over strong Italian competition.

Como, Udinese, Southampton and Ipswich Town all interested in Celtic-linked star with one ‘preparing bid’

Celtic and Como have done business with each other this summer.

After being linked with RB Leipzig, Hoops winger Nicolas Kuhn was then targeted quickly by the big-spending Serie A side managed by Cesc Fabregas.

Como entered into transfer talks with Celtic swiftly as they targeted three winger signings, with two already in the bag by that point.

Kuhn was the third and now a £17.2m deal has been agreed between the two clubs, with Kuhn keen on helping Como qualify for the Champions League.

Now, Como appear to be eyeing up a midfielder who has been linked with the Bhoys for a lengthy period of time.

• READ MORE: Celtic defender signed by Brendan Rodgers exits permanently without making senior debut

Lennon Miller eyed by four clubs including Como

According to The Scottish Sun, Como are interested in signing Lennon Miller from Celtic’s Scottish Premiership rivals Motherwell this summer.

They state that Miller is on their transfer shortlist having kept tabs on him last season, as well as Nicolas Kuhn.

Como are said to be preparing a transfer bid for Miller, while it is also claimed Udinese are still interested in the 18-year-old.

Udinese tried and failed to sign Miller in January as Motherwell rejected a bid. But they could return to the table with another offer.

The report adds that EFL Championship sides Southampton and Ipswich Town are admirers of Miller having both been relegated from the Premier League last season.

Celtic have long been linked with Miller, with Clyde 1 Superscoreboard pundit Roger Hannah claiming £4.5m would be enough for the Hoops to land the Scotland international.

Lennon Miller’s dad Lee on transfer speculation

At the end of June, Lee Miller spoke to the press and explained that while no bids had been lodged for his son, he wants to ensure Lennon’s next move is the right one for everyone.

Lee said: “He is back at Motherwell (for pre-season). So, nothing has happened, as of yet. Yes, there is loads of speculation and loads of talk on Twitter et cetera. And it’s a different club every day.

“It’s quite funny watching it, and how it’s progressing. Essentially, nobody has made bids for him. Yes, he would like to further his career down the line, but we will have to wait to see what happens.

“As a footballer, as a parent of a footballer, there are always massive decisions to make. Lennon’s next move is so important. A lot of players would get sucked into a massive club, and going, ‘right, I have arrived’.

“But there needs to be a lot of thought process, and there has been a lot of thought process of his next move, because it’s a development move again.

“The next one is important because he has to play. He has to develop. He has to then kick on again. Everyone has seen that with Scotland.”