Ipswich Town Signs Sasa Lukic from Fulham

Ipswich Town have underlined their intent to stay in the Premier League by landing Serbia international Sasa Lukic from Fulham on a long-term deal running to 2030.

The fee remains officially undisclosed, but reports value the move at around £9 million – serious money for a newly-promoted side and a clear sign that Ipswich are not treating survival as a bonus, but as a minimum requirement.

A proven engine for the top flight

At 29, Lukic arrives as a ready-made Premier League midfielder, not a project. He has 62 caps for Serbia and close to 100 Premier League appearances for Fulham, a body of work that gives Gary O'Neil exactly what he needs in the centre of the pitch: reliability, experience, and legs.

Before his move to England, Lukic built his reputation in Serie A with Torino, where he developed into a disciplined, tactically sharp midfielder, and also spent time on loan in LaLiga with Levante. Different leagues, different demands, same outcome: a player trusted by managers to run games from box to box.

That is how he sees himself, too.

"I am a box-to-box player who gives my all every time I am on the pitch and I'm excited to meet everyone and get started," Lukic said as the deal was confirmed.

Portman Road pull

Lukic already knows what Portman Road can sound like at full tilt. "I have played at Portman Road before in the Premier League and the atmosphere was one of the best I have experienced. I can't wait to play here as a home player," he said.

For Ipswich, those words matter. This is not a player taking a step down or drifting. It is a senior international choosing a promoted club because the stage appeals and the project feels alive.

He becomes Ipswich’s eighth signing of a busy close-season as the club race to arm O’Neil with enough depth and quality to cope with the jump back into the top flight.

O’Neil’s rebuild gathers pace

O’Neil, appointed in June after Kieran McKenna’s departure following five seasons in charge, faces a demanding first campaign. The squad that powered Ipswich back into the Premier League needed reinforcement; Lukic is the kind of addition that changes the tone of a midfield, not just the numbers on a teamsheet.

A box-to-box presence with international pedigree, comfortable in high-tempo games and used to the physical and tactical grind of England’s top tier, gives Ipswich a spine that looks more Premier League than Championship.

Ipswich wanted experience, energy and personality in the middle of the park. In Lukic, they have paid for all three. Now the question is simple: can this new core keep Portman Road a Premier League venue beyond this season?