Ipswich Town have agreed a transfer fee with Strasbourg for Paraguay international forward Julio Enciso, with the 22-year-old set to reunite with manager Gary O'Neil at Portman Road.

O'Neil, who took charge at Ipswich this summer after spells at Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers, worked with Enciso during his time at Strasbourg last season and was eager to bring the forward with him to Suffolk.

A familiar ground for Enciso

The deal carries an added layer of familiarity for Enciso — he previously spent six months on loan at Portman Road from Brighton in 2025, making this transfer a permanent homecoming of sorts.

At Strasbourg, which is co-owned with Chelsea through the BlueCo ownership group, Enciso was widely considered one of the club's most prized assets. Club officials had privately believed the Paraguayan had the quality and potential to one day earn a move to Stamford Bridge.

The transfer fee has not been officially disclosed, though sources close to the deal suggest it will consume a significant share of Ipswich's remaining summer budget and hand Strasbourg a substantial profit on the £13.8 million they invested in him just last summer.

A busy summer at Portman Road

Should the deal be confirmed, Enciso would become Ipswich's 11th major signing of the transfer window. The club have already brought in Daizen Maeda from Celtic, Abdul Fatawu from Leicester City, and club-record arrival Emersonn from Toulouse, for whom they paid £24 million.

Whether Enciso's fee will surpass that club-record mark remains to be seen, with those involved declining to confirm specific figures at this stage.

Ipswich, who clinched promotion from the Championship, open their Premier League campaign at home to Sunderland on 22 August.