Jutkiewicz Set To Leave Coventry

Last updated : 12 January 2012 By Covsupport News Service/RD

It is looking increasingly likely that Coventry City's leading scorer, Lukas Jutkiewicz will be leaving the club in the January transfer window, but only if suitable replacements can be brought in first.

Middlesbrough have been chasing the 22 year old Jutkiewicz for a while and had a bid rejected at the start of the season, but are now thought to have lodged another bid which the City board are finding hard to resist.

Although Middlesbrough are seen as favourites to sign Jutkiewicz, they are not the only club interested and may face competition. He is midway though his three year contract with Coventry and is reported to be valued at between £2 and £3 million.

Coventry City's senior management will not sanction the sale of Jutkiewicz until replacements are signed and are at the club as Andy \thorn could not hope to manage a squad with even fewer players than he has at the moment. 
 
Jutkiewicz missed the 2-1 home defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup last Saturday because of a back injury. His omission was widely seen as a precursor to his sale despite assurances that he was injured, but with him missing the game means he is not cup tied and can now play for another club in the competition.
 
He has now returned to training and if he is still a Sky Blue player on Saturday he will almost certainly be in Thorn's squad for the trip to Derby.

Coventry City manager Andy Thorn said earlier in the week that he desperately needed a striker who can score goals.

He said, “What we need is a goal scorer. I’m still waiting to see where we are on the lad I want, but I’m told we’re really close now.” 

“We watched our chances from the Southampton game on the DVD with the boys this week and it’s not that often you get that many chances in games. We had loads. The ball was going in the box loads of times.

"We should have won the game comfortably but we haven’t got that killer instinct in front of goal at the minute. That’s what we’re missing.

“Having said that we won two of our last three league games and we have to take the confidence from that into the Derby game.”