Ipswich Town boss Paul Lambert has revealed that he tried to bring Connor Wickham back to the club in January but conceded he was out of their price range.

The Tractor Boys struggles in front of goal continued last night as they drew 0-0 at AFC Wimbledon, meaning they have netted just once in their previous four fixtures.

Therefore, some feel Ipswich are paying the price for failing to bring in a new number nine in the winter window.

However, speaking to the East Anglian Daily Times, Lambert explained that they did plot an ambitious move for Crystal Palace's Wickham, who has since gone on to join Sheffield Wednesday.

"We couldn't get one. We tried for a lot of guys. I enquired about the lad Connor Wickham who was here. Dear oh dear... Lee (O'Neill, general manager of football operations) spoke to his agent and the money was *puffs cheeks out*. It was incredible. We don't have that money."

The 26-year-old came through the ranks at Portman Road before joining Sunderland in a big-money move in the summer of 2011.

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The verdict

I'm not sure the Ipswich fans will appreciate hearing this as they won't really care about nearly bringing someone in.

In truth though, everyone would have said that Wickham would be way out of Ipswich's price range so it's a bit bizarre that the club even made a move for him as it was highly unrealistic, particularly as there was Championship interest too.

Ultimately, the lack of a new number nine is looking like a real problem right now and something needs to change quickly for Lambert as Ipswich seek to address this alarming run of form that has seen them slip out of the play-offs.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.