Ipswich Town's Premier League rivals Leicester City have tabled a £22m bid for Greek striker Fotis Ioannidis, according to reports.
Greek international hitman Ioannidis, 24, bagged 23 goals and nine assists in 44 games for Panathinaikos last season, prompting interest from Town earlier this summer.
READ MORE: Stuart Watson's verdict on final friendly win
The Blues were reported to have offered just over £21m for him back in June, with Panathinaikos apparently rejecting the bid and demanding at least 30 million euros (£25.7m).
Now Leicester, who won the Championship ahead of Town last season, are said to have made a bid as they face a striker shortage - Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka are both out hurt, leaving Tom Cannon as the Foxes' only fit senior striker.
It's claimed that the Foxes and Sporting Lisbon will now fight it out for Ioannidis, who scored five goals in the Europa League for Panathinaikos last term.
SIGN-UP! Get six months of ALL our Town content for just £6 - or 50% off a whole year!
The Blues are short up top too, with George Hirst sidelined for at least eight weeks with a knee injury and Ali Al-Hamadi only just getting back to action after summer surgery.
That leaves summer signing Liam Delap leading the line, backed up by Al-Hamadi and Freddie Ladapo, who finished last season on loan at League One Charlton.
Boss Kieran McKenna reiterated again after Saturday's 1-0 win over OGC Nice in their final friendly that Town are 'short on numbers.'
The Blues start their Premier League campaign against Liverpool at Portman Road on Saturday (12.30pm ko, live on TNT Sports).
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here