Fabrizio Romano reveals club record fee Ipswich are discussing to sign Alexsandro
Ipswich Town are keen to strengthen their defense this summer, opening talks to sign Alexsandro, but they may have to shell out the club’s record fee to secure a deal for the line-up.
The Brazilian arrived in France in 2022, and it didn’t take long for him to be praised by former Lille assistant manager Jorge Maciel, for his physicality and versatility: “This is his strongest feature: you can’t even tell if he’s left-footed or right-footed. And he has the ability to play long or short passes with both feet. For a centre-back, that’s amazing.
“He is the type of player that everyone wants. He is very strong in two games, he brings aggression. He is like Kimpembe—he always gets to the end, he takes risks but with great determination and courage.”
Although the Brazilian was not selected for Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad, he has played three games for his national team, and is ready to test himself at the Premier League level.
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Football FanCast verdict |
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Honesty |
Ipswich had the second best defense in the Championship last season, conceding just 47 goals, but with promotion to the Premier League, it would make sense to strengthen the backline this summer. In their last Premier League campaign, a leaky defense was one of the reasons why the Tractor Boys were relegated, conceding 82 goals. |
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Finance |
However, Ipswich could break their current transfer record to sign the South American defender. Lille plan to hold out for €30m (£26m), more than the £22m they received for Omari Hutchinson. However, a splash of cash is a must if Gary O’Neil’s side are to stand any chance of avoiding the drop. |
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Understanding |
The three-time Brazilian international did not start the 2025-26 campaign, suffering from a number of injury problems, which saw him play in just nine Ligue 1 matches. However, he impressed the most in the 2024-25 campaign, averaging the highest number of defensive contributions with 90 (7.2) in the team. |
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Impact |
After spending most of the campaign on the bench, Jacob Greaves continued to play a major role in securing Ipswich’s promotion, starting the final ten Premier League games. However, Greaves’ game time could be limited if Alexsandro arrives at Portman Road, given that defender Dara O’Shea was key last season, featuring in all 46 league games. |
Ipswich made a move to sign Alexsandro
According to Fabrizio Romano at X, Ipswich have now made an approach over a deal for Alexsandro, but it would take €30m (£26m) to tempt Lille into selling.
Initial negotiations are underway, but there could be competition to sign the 26-year-old, with a number of undisclosed clubs said to be interested in signing him.
Alexsandro could be a firm signing for Ipswich if he returns to his best form
As noted, the 2025-26 campaign was an underwhelming one for the Lille defender, but he was a regular in Ligue 1 last season, making 30 appearances.
Alexsandro’s stats for Ligue 1 (2024-25)
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2,700 minutes played
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73.0 accurate passes per 90
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4.0 accurate long balls at 90 each
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4.8 specification of 90 each
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0.4 blocks by 90
In fact, the Rio de Janeiro-born star averaged a team-high 90 passing accuracy, which would make him a perfect fit for O’Neil’s system.
During his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the new Ipswich manager stressed the importance of holding the ball when there is no chance to score, saying: “We worked for it today, which is funny, because I felt like we got away from it in the last games where we won and we focused on keeping it right away. It shouldn’t be like that. ‘Can we score? No. OK. Let’s keep the ball.’ That’s what you order.”
Ipswich’s chances of signing Nick Pope after being approached by Newcastle
The contact has been made.
