Ipswich Town must always regret £2.9m transfer miss - He remains one of Serie A's greatest ever players | OneFootball

What could have been for Ipswich Town if Gabriel Batistuta made the move their in 1994.

Gabriel Batistuta is a household name to football fans with his exploits for Fiorentina legendary.

Beginning his career in Argentina, the striker made his mark with notable clubs such as Newell's Old Boys, River Plate, and Boca Juniors before making the move to Italy in 1991.

Despite scoring 29 league goals in his first two seasons with Fiorentina, they suffered relegation from Serie A in the 1992-93 campaign, finishing in 16th place.

While some might have been discouraged by the fall to Serie B, the Argentine remained undeterred. Under the leadership of new manager Claudio Ranieri, the team bounced back immediately. With 16 goals in 26 appearances, he played a pivotal role in their triumphant promotion campaign, clinching the Serie B title.

However, it was that summer when a major rumour surfaced from abroad with John Lyall's Ipswich Town understood to be chasing a deal for the striker.

Ipswich Town miss out on Gabriel Batistuta

The Tractor Boys endured a tough 1993-94 campaign. Under the stewardship of Mick McGiven, they struggled badly in front of goal and only managed to avoid relegation by the skin of their teeth - surviving courtesy of Chelsea’s 3-2 win over Sheffield United, which consigned the Blades to the drop instead.

In desperate need of firepower, the returning John Lyall identified one man who might just solve their scoring woes - Gabriel Batistuta.

According to The Independent, the then 25-year-old striker was reportedly unsettled in Florence, and Ipswich Town had supposedly agreed a £2.9 million deal with Fiorentina for his services.

Batistuta’s stock was high, having scored four goals at the 1994 World Cup, and the mere suggestion of his arrival sent shockwaves through Suffolk. It would have been a dream signing for Town—but ultimately, it never materialised.

Instead, the club turned to another South American forward - Adrián Paz, signed from Estudiantes. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that the Uruguayan was a poor substitute as he struggled with the physicality of England's top flight. He managed just one goal in 17 Premier League appearances before leaving the club the following season.

Ipswich would look at Gabriel Batistuta's exploits with envy

Having missed out on his signature, Ipswich supporters could only look on with envy as their side slipped into the second tier of English football, while Batistuta continued to flourish in Italy.

The Tractor Boys suffered repeated play-off heartache, made all the more painful by the Argentine’s relentless goal-scoring exploits - regularly hitting 20+ goals a season. His standout campaign came in 1994-95, when he bagged an astonishing 26 goals in 32 Serie A appearances.

At Fiorentina, he was the talisman, the player they could always count on. He played a crucial role in their Coppa Italia triumph in 1995-96, scoring in both legs of the final against Atalanta BC.

In 2000, Batistuta made a high-profile move to AS Roma for €36.2 million, and it was there he finally captured his sole Serie A title, netting 20 goals in the 2000-01 season.

His glittering spell in Italy came to an end in 2003, following a brief loan at Inter Milan. By then, his Serie A tally stood at a staggering 183 goals in 318 appearances - cementing his legacy as one of the finest strikers of his generation.

For Ipswich, it remained a tantalising 'what if' - a glittering career they could only admire from afar, forever wondering how different their fortunes might have been had Batistuta donned the blue of Town.