Former Ipswich Town academy striker Charlie Brown has completed a permanent transfer from Chelsea to League One club MK Dons for an undisclosed fee.

Brown, 21, came through the youth ranks at Playford Road before being lured to Chelsea in 2016, at the age of 16, for a six-figure compensation fee believed to be around £600k.

In 108 appearances for their Under-23s, U19s and U18s, Brown scored 53 goals, including six in the EFL Trophy and 12 in the UEFA Youth League games as they reached the final in 2019.

Ipswich Star: Charlie Brown (right) in EFL Trophy action for Chelsea's Under-21s. Photo: PACharlie Brown (right) in EFL Trophy action for Chelsea's Under-21s. Photo: PA (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

His first experience of senior football came during the second half of last season with a loan spell at Belgian second-division side Union SG, where he made three appearances.

MK Dons are currently 16th in the League One table, seven points behind Ipswich.

“I’m over the moon to be here,” said Brown, whose younger brother Zak, also a forward, plays for Ipswich's U23s.

“This is an opportunity I’ve been waiting for and I can’t wait to get on the pitch and show the fans what I can do.

“The gaffer (Russell Martin) has got a really strong plan for the team and I’m really excited to be a part of that and have the opportunity to help the club get to where it wants to be.

“I’ve seen the way the team plays, with a lot of possession and creating a lot of chances for the strikers. It’s going to be up to me to finish those chances off and I’ll be looking to do that as often as I can!”

MK Dons boss Martin said: “Charlie is someone we’ve been monitoring for a while now and when it transpired that we could sign him, we jumped at the chance.

“He’s shown a lot of intent to come and play for MK Dons – turning down some more lucrative offers because he believes in what we’re doing here.

“I believe the way we play and the culture we’re building will suit him really well. He’s scored a lot of goals at youth level but I believe we can improve him even further.

“In the long term, he’s going to be a very, very good signing for the football club and I’m confident, once we get him up to speed, he will help us in the short-term as well.”