Ipswich Town have set out to strengthen their defence this summer, opening talks to sign Alexsandro, but they may have to shell out a club-record fee to get a deal over the line.
The Brazilian arrived in France back in 2022, and it didn’t take him long to earn plaudits from former Lille assistant manager Jorge Maciel, for his physicality and versatility: “That’s his strongest characteristic: you can’t even tell if he’s left-footed or right-footed. And he has the ability to play long or short passes with both feet. For a center-back, that’s incredible.
“He’s the type of player everyone is looking for. He’s very strong in duels, brings aggression. He’s a profile like Kimpembe—always on the limit, taking maximum risk but with enormous determination and courage.”
Although the Brazilian wasn’t selected in Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad, he has three caps to his name for his national side, and he could now be ready to test himself at Premier League level.
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Football FanCast’s Verdict |
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Credibility |
Ipswich had the joint-second best defence in the Championship last season, shipping just 47 goals, but having been promoted back to the Premier League, it would make sense to strengthen the backline this summer. During their last Premier League campaign, a leaky defence was one of the main reasons behind the Tractor Boys suffering relegation, conceding 82 goals. |
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Finances |
However, Ipswich may have to break their current transfer record to sign the South American defender. Lille are planning to hold out for €30m (£26m), eclipsing the £22m they shelled out on Omari Hutchinson. However, splashing the cash is a needs must if Gary O’Neil’s side are to stand any chance of avoiding the drop. |
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Insight |
The three-cap Brazil international wasn’t a regular starter during the 2025-26 campaign, having suffered a number of injury problems, which limited him to just nine Ligue 1 appearances. However, he was more impressive in the 2024-25 campaign, averaging the highest number of defensive contributions per 90 (7.2) in the squad. |
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Impact |
After spending large parts of the campaign on the bench, Jacob Greaves went on to play a major role in Ipswich securing promotion, starting the final ten Championship games. However, Greaves’ game time could become more limited if Alexsandro arrives at Portman Road, given that fellow centre-back Dara O’Shea was indispensable last season, featuring in all 46 league matches. |
Ipswich make approach to sign Alexsandro
According to Fabrizio Romano on X, Ipswich have now made an approach regarding a deal for Alexsandro, but it could take €30m (£26m) to tempt Lille into a sale.
Initial talks are now underway, but there could be competition for the 26-year-old’s signature, with a number of other unnamed clubs said to be keen.
Alexsandro could be solid signing for Ipswich if he gets back to his best
As noted, the 2025-26 campaign was somewhat of a write-off for the Lille defender, but he was a consistent performer in Ligue 1 during the prior season, making 30 appearances.
Alexsandro’s Ligue 1 stats (2024-25)
- 2,700 minutes played
- 73.0 accurate passes per 90
- 4.0 accurate long balls per 90
- 4.8 clearances per 90
- 0.4 blocks per 90
In fact, the Rio de Janeiro-born star averaged the highest number of accurate passes per 90 in the squad, which could make him a good fit in an O’Neil system.
During his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the new Ipswich boss stressed the importance of retaining possession when there isn’t an opportunity to score, saying: “We worked on it today, funnily enough, because I felt we had slipped away from it in recent games where we won it back and focused on keeping it straight away. It should not be that way. ‘Can we score? No. OK. Let’s keep the ball.’ That is the order.”
