IPSWICH Town manager Jim Magilton's budget will be boosted next season by around £1.5million if Charlton Athletic are relegated from the Premiership.Charlton boss Alan Pardew has confirmed that he expects to lose star striker Darren Bent if the London-based club find themselves in the Championship in 2007/08.

By Elvin King

IPSWICH Town manager Jim Magilton's budget will be boosted next season by around £1.5million if Charlton Athletic are relegated from the Premiership.

Charlton boss Alan Pardew has confirmed that he expects to lose star striker Darren Bent if the London-based club find themselves in the Championship in 2007/08.

And if so Town will pocket a sell-on fee of 20per cent on any profit that Charlton make.

They paid £2.6million to take Bent from Portman Road in the summer of 2005 - and Tottenham and Newcastle have both been reported to be ready to pay £10million for the England international.

If so, Ipswich will pocket a cool £1.5million or so.

Charlton are currently second from bottom - two points from safety with two games to play: Spurs at home on Monday and Liverpool away on Sunday, May 13.

Pardew realises he would be unable to hold on to Bent if his side fails to come up with the goods over the next nine days.

He said: “I was at West Ham when they tried to hang on to striker Jermain Defoe and that didn't work.

“This is usually the case with top players coming out of the Premiership and I anticipate it will be the same with Darren.”

Town will also profit if Bent makes his first England appearance in a competitive international prior to leaving Charlton.

England play Estonia on June 6, with fellow striker Andy Johnson undergoing ankle surgery in a couple of weeks.

Town are set to receive £200,000 from Charlton for each of Bent's first two competitive England caps.

Once agreement has been reached to reduce the money owed by Town on the £28million bond they took out to build two new stands, new significant investment into the club is expected before the start of next season.

This will also boost Magilton's transfer and wage budgets.

JIM Magilton and coaches Steve Foley and Richard Hall attended Alan Ball's funeral at Winchester Cathedral yesterday. Magilton and Hall both played under Ball, while Foley worked with him at Colchester.

IPSWICH reserves will face Central Division winners Brighton and Hove Albion in the Pontin's Holidays Combination play-off. The one-off game is expected to be played at Portman Road next week.

FORMER Ipswich defender Aidan Collins has retired at the age of 20. He joined Cambridge United in January, but has been forced to hang up his boots due to a persistent knee injury.