A HUDDERSFIELD homecoming for Ipswich Town’s unwanted striker, Jon Stead, could still be on the cards.

And that would mean teaming up with ex-Town front-runner Jordan Rhodes, who banged home 23 goals for the Yorkshire club last term.

Town are desperate to off-load players this summer, particularly attackers, and Huddersfield-born Stead is deemed to be surplus to requirements.

Terriers boss Lee Clark denied that he had been in touch with his Town counterpart, Roy Keane, over a possible move for Stead yesterday.

But Clark, who guided Huddersfield into the League One play-offs last season, where they were beaten by Millwall, also failed to rule out a future move for the 27-year-old striker.

“I am aware of the player (Stead), but he’s under contract at Ipswich and I have not been in contact with Roy Keane,” revealed Clark.

But Clark could well be biding his time, and might be prepared to make an approach for Stead later this summer.

Stead is eager to find a new club, to settle down with his young family, having spent the last three months of last season on loan at Coventry.

A possible permanent deal with the Sky Blues effectively collapsed following manager Chris Coleman’s departure from the Ricoh Arena at the end of the campaign.

Stead began his career at Huddersfield, graduating from the youth team to score 22 goals in 68 league appearances before moving on to Blackburn (�1.2m in 2004), Sunderland (�1.8m in 2005), Sheffield United (�750,000 in 2007) and Ipswich (�600,000 in 2008).

He enjoyed a purple patch midway through last season, helping himself to six goals in 10 games for Town, including a brace in the 3-0 home win over QPR.

But Keane then allowed him to go on loan to Coventry, after the striker had served a four-match suspension as punishment for a red card at Crystal Palace on Boxing Day.

Keane is targetting Cardiff City hot-shot Michael Chopra as his new marksman for next term, to play alongside teenage sensation Connor Wickham.

The Irishman is hoping to land his man for a cool �4m, and for that to happen, some of Town’s other current strikers would have to leave Portman Road.

Stead would be one of those in line to go, with Tamas Priskin, Pablo Counago and Lee Martin in a similar position. However, the lucrative wages they are earning at Portman Road will not make it easy to move one or two of them on this summer.