Everton are reportedly set to make a January move for Town defender Adam Webster.

According to the Daily Mirror, the Toffees are ready to test the Blues’ resolve with a £4 million offer for the 21-year-old.

Webster, who joined Town from Portsmouth in the summer for £700,000 plus Matt Clarke, who moved in the opposite direction, is also understood to be interesting Sunderland.

Blues boss Mick McCarthy has said the former England U18 and U19 international is a Premier League player of the future on a number of occasions, but speaking at Thursday's press conference was confident that he would be able to keep hold of his most coveted players, owner Marcus Evans having previously resisted big offers for key men such as Leicester's £7 million bid for David McGoldrick in the summer of 2014.

An offer of £4 million is very unlikely to even be considered in the current market.

“They’re all under contract but we’ve seen that before with players under contract,” McCarthy said.

“I’m not sat here worried about losing them, I’m sat here more concerned about getting some fresh faces in that would provide a spark and an impetus for us so we could push forward.”

Meanwhile, academy head of recruitment Steve McGavin and coach Scott Mitchell have been among a number of Town representatives holding a week-long training camp at the Clyde Best Centre of Excellence in Bermuda and also watching games in the British Overseas Territory.

“Like anywhere in the world there is talent and we’ve identified that,” McGavin told Bermuda’s Royal Gazette.

“It’s about developing relationships, a trust element when people know what we’re doing, and there may be opportunities in the future for boys from the island.

“It’s only been after coming here that I realised how many [Bermudian] boys have been proactive in terms of going to the United Kingdom, some of them we’ve played against for other teams.”

Elsewhere, former Town winger Alex Henshall has joined Vanarama National League South side Margate having left Kilmarnock at the end of last season. The 22-year-old’s Blues contract was settled by mutual consent in January.

Photo: TWTD

geminimustang added 10:09 - Dec 24 Sell for £4M and buy 2 players which will be of a higher calibre than loans or freebies.Push on and reach the play-off's.Great way to start the New Year!
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Warkys_Tash added 10:14 - Dec 24 It's funny old game, no-one had even heard of him before he came to Ipswich & now the Prem clubs are circling. A bid in Jan would certainly test Evan's 3 point strategy! He did laugh off a very good MacG bid so let's see what his resolve is for an even more promising & younger player, that is potentially worth a lot more.
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Crawfordsboot added 10:32 - Dec 24 A really good young player attracting premier league attention. Signed for not a lot. Well done whoever signed him! Oh hang on - surely not that mumpty Mick That must really upset some on here
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wherescounago added 11:35 - Dec 24 So we have no money for players but can send, shall I say, not high profile members of staff on a jolly!! They won't pick up any players over there. All plots have been lost Happy Xmas everyone!
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Razor added 12:05 - Dec 24 Bermuda eh? Sounds nice----hope they learnt something!!
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cornishblu added 12:17 - Dec 24 Crawfordsboot .....before you start having a go .,.just remember MM didn't rate him highly enough to give him a run of games , despite supporter recognition , until smith was injured.....now he's worth £4m and you give MM the credit ......it goes both ways .....delighted that scouting at our club pays dividends when we are prepared to spend money ........should be a clear message that says ...less of the journeymen that no one else's wants...and more investing a bit to take a chance on promising young players...and keeping the money in the British leagues .......with Murphys money we should afford another 4 .....lets hope we don't waste it by upping our salaries on hasbeens who end up at our club......oh hang on a minute!!! COYB

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midastouch added 12:24 - Dec 24 4 millions is much too cheap, it might seem like a reasonable amount now (in light of the annual 6+million loss), but I recall when we sold Cresswell and the fee for that deal looks far too cheap now. We have a record of letting players go for too cheap. Those lot down the road expect top dollar for their players and so should we.
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planetblue_2011 added 13:37 - Dec 24 So long Adam u will be sold in Jan. If Everton offer a 2nd bid of 6m I'm sure Marcus won't turn it down. Berra, Smith partnership again when Smith is fit
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dirtydingusmagee added 16:09 - Dec 24 transfer window always brings more pain than gain with ITFC just hope we hang on to Bart.
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Brownie added 16:57 - Dec 24 Crawsfordsboot - good call re MM buying Webster & also Mings plus Murph. He has also brought in Bajner, Pete the Pole, Toure, Coke, Best & numerous not great loan signings. He has some hits & misses as do all managers. The point is if you keep selling decent players & don't reinvest that money in the team it is recipe for disaster. Not sure if you blame MM for that but it is not a good plan. Add to that if you keep playing the same players who are out of form and/or are not good enough & you play a lot of them out of postion it will definitely end in tears for us all.

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Surco72 added 17:07 - Dec 24 These stories always arise before a transfer window to deflect away from the club not spending
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TimmyH added 17:15 - Dec 24 It really is this simple - if they want him and with the revenue the Premiership clubs now have they have to pay BIG money, not 2 or 3 Million but with the potential he has we're talking 8-10M plus. I bet our illustrious owner is licking his lips with this!
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wayway added 19:32 - Dec 24 Of course they will sell I am a great fan of the folk trio 'Show of Hands'', give a listen to one of their tracks called 'Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed', this sums up the Evans PLC to a tee
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Keaneish added 20:17 - Dec 24 If Mings went for 8million after 1 full season then why sell for this paltry some given he's just signed and contracted? Nonsense figure. Webster is infinitely better now than he was when we kicked off the season. Keep hold for now. He's much better than Mings.
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bobble added 07:16 - Dec 25 We have conceeded less goals with smith and berra at the back so sell him for $10m and buy some beer.
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BillBlue added 10:04 - Dec 25 Oh Mick - You don't a lot of new faces, just a striker and start with those guys sitting on the Bench. If you haven't got the guts to start without your Captain then move him into the middle where he used to do OK.
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blues1 added 10:26 - Dec 25 Some of the comments on here really don't make sense. Awe signed Webster in August for £700,000. 4 months later we could be offered £4m. And people say thats not enough? A 3 and a quarter million pound profit in 4 months. Think be businessman with any sense would consider that. I agree with everyone that we would be best to keep hold of him for now, but as long as that money was reinvested in May also be wise to take it. Also, with the financial situation at the club I'm not sure we could afford to reject that kind of bid, presuming of course that there were ads one included in the Don't think ne1 would disagree that mm has signed good players. Trouble is he ruins them once they are here. Instead of signing these players and adapting his style of football to suit those players he tries to adapt then to his style of play. And there lies the problem.

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Keaneish added 12:32 - Dec 25 Blues1 - bottom line is Webster will be worth more later down the line. Would Mings have gone for 8 million 1/3 of the way into his first season? He wouldn't. Same story for Webster. He needs a full season and to continue doing well to increase his value before we consider a sale. We'll need more than 4 million to come close to breaking even next financial year so I don't see any reason to sell at the moment especially seeing as he's becoming our best player this season. ME and MM need to show ambition to start getting season ticket holders interested in next season. Selling Webster, given the current disdain around the club would surely have a negative impact rather than a positive one short term.

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BrettenhamBlue added 17:50 - Dec 25 I hope I am wrong but these are my predictions for the January Transfer Window: Webster: sold 6m (MM will get a good deal but needed to help with the financial situation). Coke : Mutual termination or end-of-season loan deal Varney: signed till end of season If Webster goes 2 free transfers (one midfield and one striker). Smith moves back into team and Digby used in reserve. I do think we will weaken overall, not strengthen, in January. I don't know what the situation is with the clubs below us. Are they intending to strengthen significantly or are they all in similar positions financially? Does anyone know the answer to that as really vital to our survival in this league?

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littlestoneblue added 17:45 - Dec 26 Some of you on here are really deluded if you think we would sell a player like Webster for say £4M and then investing in other quality players, come on wake up Fools, we have never re invested with the millions we have received for the players we sold over the years, since Keane, Jewell, and Micks tenures, all the time we have an invisible owner who openly will not invest proper funds for players, and a dinosaur manager who will not give our youngsters a good run in the first team to develop further, nope I'm sorry to say, but we have more likelihood of relegation this season, so lets get rid of Mick and Terry, get our invisible owner to sell up, and we might stand a chance of progressing, but all the time MM & ME are here you can kiss our clubs progress goodbye.

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littlestoneblue added 17:50 - Dec 26 Oh and also if their on a jolly to Bermuda, take fooking Mick with you, and he could do us a favour of disappearing in the TRIANGLE
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