FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Championship - Southampton v Ipswich Town - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - September 19, 2023 Ipswich Town's Omari Hutchinson celebrates after the match Action Images/Matthew Childs EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details./File Photo
(Reuters) - Newly-promoted Ipswich Town have signed Omari Hutchinson on a permanent deal from Chelsea, the two Premier League clubs said on Sunday, with the forward penning a five-year contract.
Ipswich said Hutchinson had joined for a club record fee without disclosing the amount, which British media reported was around 20 million pounds ($25.29 million).
The 20-year-old spent the 2023-24 season on loan at Ipswich and helped the club secure promotion as Championship (second-tier) runners-up, scoring 10 league goals.
"Omari is someone we all enjoyed working with last season and the staff, his team mates and supporters all saw how he grew and developed over the course of the year," manager Kieran McKenna told the Ipswich website.
"The impact he had on the team throughout the season, especially in the latter part, was evidence of that and he, like so many of his team mates, played a significant part in that success for the club."
Ipswich ended a 22-year exile from the Premier League when they secured second place in the Championship.
($1 = 0.7909 pounds)
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
