Zian Flemming to Ipswich Town
£20m deadline-day signing

1. 1 Sept
   Deal announced

   Ipswich Town confirmed the signing of Zian Flemming from Burnley right on the transfer deadline.

Zian Flemming has completed a deadline-day move from Burnley to Ipswich Town in a deal worth up to £20m, signing a four-year contract at Portman Road.

Ipswich Town completed the signing of Zian Flemming from Burnley right on the transfer deadline, with the move confirmed by the club on 1 September 2026. The Dutch forward has signed a four-year contract and taken the number nine shirt. The deal is a package worth up to £20m, made up of £17m guaranteed with a further £3m in add-ons that have been described as hard to reach. Flemming underwent his medical on the day of the move before it was announced, making him Ipswich's final signing of a busy summer.

Ipswich manager Gary O'Neil made no secret of his satisfaction at landing the forward, saying: "Zian is a player who had an impressive first season in the Premier League and we are very pleased to have brought him to the club." The move came together late in the window after Ipswich's attempt to land Tammy Abraham on loan from Aston Villa fell through, prompting the club to turn to Flemming as an alternative attacking option. The timing was significant too: Ipswich had started the season with a win over Sunderland followed by a heavy defeat to Manchester United, and O'Neil clearly felt his squad needed more firepower up front.

For Burnley, it is a blow to lose their leading man. Manager Nicky Hayen had said in his pre-Middlesbrough press conference that the club would rather have kept Flemming, but accepted that the right offer could change things, and confirmed Burnley would look to bring in a replacement if he left. Flemming was Burnley's standout performer in a difficult season that ended in relegation from the Premier League, and his departure leaves a gap in a forward line already adjusting to life back in the Championship.

Flemming's form made him hard to hold onto. He scored 11 league goals for Burnley last season despite their relegation, a return that marked him out as one of the division's more reliable finishers even as the team around him struggled. He has continued that scoring form into the new Championship campaign, finding the net in the opening weeks of the season for his old club before the move to Ipswich went through.

The forward joined Burnley from Millwall in 2025 for a fee of around £7m, and before that had spells at Ajax, PEC Zwolle, NEC Nijmegen and Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands. Now 28, he arrives at Portman Road with a full season of Premier League experience behind him, having adapted well to English football's top flight in his first year in the country.

At Ipswich, Flemming gives O'Neil a proven goalscorer to call on as the club tries to establish itself back in the Premier League. He is comfortable leading the line but has also played further back as an attacking midfielder during his career, which should give the manager some tactical flexibility. Signing him as Ipswich's very last piece of summer business, after a defeat to Manchester United exposed a lack of cutting edge, suggests he is expected to compete for a starting role rather than sit as back-up.

• Announced by the clubs100

A sourcing score, not a chance of completion: it grades how solid the reporting behind the move is. The stage and the evidence come from the sources listed below; the arithmetic is fixed in code, the same for every deal.

• Town Confirm Flemming Signing - TWTD.co.uk
• Ipswich Town agree £20m deal for Burnley striker Zian Flemming - East Anglian Daily Times
• Ipswich complete late signing of Zian Flemming - Yahoo Sports
• Burnley lose star man Zian Flemming to Ipswich Town right on deadline - Burnley Express
• Hayen says Burnley are looking to replace Flemming 'if he goes' - amid interest from Ipswich - Yahoo Sports