Midfielder Nunez seals Norwich to Ipswich move

Ipswich Town have completed the signing of "strong-minded" midfielder Marcelino Nunez from East Anglia rivals Norwich City for a reported £10m.

The Chile international spent three years at Carrow Road, making 119 appearances, the last in a 2-1 win at Portsmouth on 16 August, a game in which he had to go off with an ankle injury.

He is the first player to move from Norwich to Ipswich - who are both in the Championship this season - since goalkeeper Andy Marshall in 2001 and has agreed a four-year contract.

"It's an area we felt we certainly needed to add to. He's a high-quality player, he has a lot of Championship experience now, international experience. He covers a lot of ground, he's a set-play taker and scorer, as we found a couple of seasons ago," Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"He's a strong-minded individual and wants to make the move he sees as best for his career - and we're happy he sees this as that best move.

"Of course, local rivalries are massively important and players understand that, but he wants to make the move he sees as the best progression for his career. He's got some good years ahead of him, and we're delighted he sees this as the right club for that."

Ipswich may look to Nunez to fill the midfield fulcrum role previously held by Sam Morsy, who captained them to back-to-back promotions in 2023 and 2024, but left for Kuwait SC in July.

But McKenna confirmed Nunez will not be fit to play until after the international break, with the home game against Sheffield United on 12 September a potential first appearance.

The signing follows Thursday's arrivals of West Brom full-back Darnell Furlong and striker Ivan Azon, on loan from Italian club Como.

Nunez's contract with Norwich was due to expire at the end of the current season, when he could have left for nothing.

He scored the winning goal against Ipswich in the most recent East Anglian derby in April 2024, and former keeper Marshall has warned he can expect a tough reception from Canaries fans in future.

"My advice to him? Go and enjoy it. Go and maximise what you can. But expect it's not going to be very pleasant," he said.

Explaining the decision to sell, Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper said that taking everything into consideration, they believed the deal was in the "best interests" of the club.

"It goes without saying, this is a significant transfer for all parties involved. We absolutely understand the feeling and sentiment from our supporters at this time, and this was of course an extremely difficult decision for us to take," he added.

"We are committed to making what we feel are the best possible decisions for our football club, assessing all factors in the round, in both the short, medium and long term.

"Of the possible scenarios and outcomes that this situation has presented, we believe this is the one that leaves the club in the best position."

Apart from Marshall, instances of high-profile players moving directly between the two East Anglian rivals have been comparatively rare over the years.

Former Ipswich, Liverpool and Scotland midfielder John Wark told BBC Radio Suffolk: "If he's a good player and does the business, I'm not bothered about it, but I would never do a thing like that."

Winger Clive Woods was a member of Bobby Robson's highly successful Ipswich team that won the FA Cup in 1978, making over 260 appearances before moving to their Norfolk rivals two years later.

John Deehan was a free-scoring striker for Norwich in the early 1980s, contributing 70 goals for the club, but then moved to Ipswich in an exchange deal which also involved midfielder Trevor Putney.

More recently, midfielder Liam Gibbs played one league game for Ipswich before joining Norwich for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2021.

Others to have played for both clubs, albeit not consecutively, include striker Keith Bertschin, goalkeeper Clive Baker and winger Louie Donowa.

Former England centre-forward Joe Royle played for Norwich from 1980-82 before becoming Ipswich manager 20 years later, while ex-Scotland midfielder Paul Lambert had spells in charge of both clubs.

The two teams will meet for the first time this season in a 12:00 kick-off at Ipswich's Portman Road ground on Sunday, 5 October.