Source: FOOTYMAD
No approach for Jutkiewicz says Clouting
City looking to to bring in players not lose them. Amid the widespread speculation surrounding the future of Coventry City striker Lukas Jutkiewicz linking him with moves to Southampton and more recently Burnley, Paul Clouting,Coventry City's chief executive, has denied that the club has received any approach at all for the player. Burnley have money to spend after selling two of their players, Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears to Bolton Wanderers last week for £3m and there had been press speculation that Burnley had offered £1.5m for the 22 year old Jutkiewicz, a claim denied by Clouting. Jutkiewicz arrived from Everton last year for an undisclosed fee, which may be being paid in instalments, but whether the deal included a sell on clause is also unknown and if it did then a £1.5m offer from Burnley would not be of much benefit to the cash strapped club Coventry City are unlikely to sell him for less than £3m and if an exceptional offer were received the club would have to carefully consider it. Although the club is reluctant to lose anymore players and is making strenuous attempts to add to the squad at the moment, chairman Ken Dulieu has indicated that he would be prepared to wheel and deal if it were to be to the benefit of the club. Paul Clouting said, "We’ve had no approach or bid for Lukas. At this stage, as the chairman has said, we are looking to bring players in rather than seeing them go out. All our efforts are concentrated on the forthcoming season which starts on Saturday against Leicester and should be a big occasion for the city.” Chairman Ken Dulieu said only last week that Coventry City would not be pushed into a fire sale because of their parlous financial state, but he did admit, “I am not saying that I am not going to trade, because if there is a clever trade to do I promise you I will do it.” The Sky Blues are in a desperate hunt to sin a striker before the start of the season as they are short up front following the departure of Marlon King to Birmingham and the loss of strikers, Freddy Eastwood to a hamstring injury and Jutkiewicz to a dead leg. Eastwood will be out for several weeks and Jutkiewicz will struggle to be fit for the opening game of the season on Saturday. Jutkiewicz struggled to find the net in the first part of last season and he scored his first Sky Blues goal in his 14th appearance, but after the sacking of Aidy Boothroyd and the appointment of Andy Thorn, Jutkiewicz started to score a more regularly. He finished the season with nine goals in 35 starts and eight substitute appearances, which is not overly impressive, but he is rated as one of the more exciting prospects in the Championship and at only 22 years of age, he can only improve.
