Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy is confident it will be a case of buying, not selling, when the January transfer window open.

Blues owner Marcus Evans turned down bids of £7.5m and £3m for striker David McGoldrick and left-back Tyrone Mings on the final day of the summer transfer window.

The latter’s value has rocketed since then, figures as high as £10m being speculated as the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea closely monitor his rapid progress, while McGoldrick has made his debut for the Republic of Ireland.

However, with the Suffolk club in their best position for years – this afternoon they host Middlesbrough in a fourth versus second Championship clash – McCarthy is planning on strengthening his squad, rather than worrying about star players departing.

“I doubt there will be outs – I doubt that very much,” said the Blues boss. “We’re going well so why would we want to disrupt that? If anyone goes it would be someone that is not in the team and who I don’t think makes us better.

“Conversely, if there is somebody out there who can make the squad better and who we can get in then, yes, we’ll do that. I’m not sitting here worrying about that though because I’ve got a good team at the minute.”

Asked if he was confident that Evans would back him, he replied: “Come on, he’s proved that with the bids he’s already rejected. That’s not in question, I don’t think.

“As I always say, if somebody comes in with an absolutely astronomical bid and the player comes in goes ‘I fancy that’ then you have to consider it. That’s the case at any club. Gareth Bale is at Real Madrid, by the way. You know that? He went for 80-odd million.

“Certain things are unstoppable, but it would have to be one of those scenarios. If it was, I’d just say ‘fine’. I’m not going to argue with it. That’s part of the gig that. It always has been.”

He added: “In terms of bringing player in, I wonder what we can get that’s better than ours, who’s not going to cost a shed load of money and who’s not going to blow the wage bill out of the water. That can change the dynamic a bit if you go down that route.”