Ipswich Town and Portsmouth are both interested in signing Liverpool forward Ben Woodburn on loan this summer as they look to bolster their attacking options ahead of another assault on promotion in League One.

Last season saw Ipswich struggle to adapt to life in the third-tier and miss out on the play-off places completely when the season was curtailed. For Portsmouth, they suffered play-off heartache at the hands of Oxford United and are now planning for another season in League One.

Part of the Oxford squad that beat Portsmouth was Woodburn, who started the first-leg at Fratton Park and stepped off the bench in the second, as Karl Robinson’s side beat Pompey on penalties.

Quiz: Do you know what shirt number each of these 14 Ipswich Town players wear?

Woodburn was then part of the Oxford side that lost to Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley, before heading back to Liverpool with 16 appearances, one goal and two assists under his belt.

According to a report from GOAL, it appears that the 20-year-old will be offered another crack at League One in 2020/21, with both Ipswich and Portsmouth in the mix to sign the forward from Liverpool.

In his senior career with Liverpool, Woodburn has managed only 11 appearances, with the forward scoring one League Cup goal against Leeds United back in 2016/17.

Loan spells with Sheffield United and Oxford have followed.

The Verdict

Woodburn is yet to really live up to the hype surrounding him in the EFL, but we know he’s a good player and with the right management, he could thrive.

Ipswich and Portsmouth will both expect to be challenging for promotion in League One next season and if they create the right environment, we could finally see the 20-year-old step up.

His time at Oxford wasn’t great, but it’s a tough learning curb in League One and there’s got to be a point where Woodburn gets hold of the division to make a difference.

If he does that at either of Ipswich or Portsmouth, it’ll be big.

Thoughts? Let us know!