MAC THE STRIFE!
SKY BLUES BRACED FOR IMPROVED BID FROM PREM CLUB AS CLUB FACE BATTLE TO KEEP SUPER SAM
COVENTRY City are bracing themselves for an improved bid for Sam McCallum.
A Premier League club, understood to be a lower-end side, are leading the race for his signature and are expected to come back in with a second offer for the 19-year-old defender who is the Sky Blues’ biggest saleable asset.
City received a seven-figure bid for the left-back/wing-back earlier this week which was turned down, Mark Robins insisting it was “nowhere near” the value he puts on the player.
The manager has previously said it would take a “monumental” bid for the club to sell the teenager who has had a meteoric rise to prominence after being plucked from non-league Herne Bay via the Jamie Vardy Academy trials.
A second bid may well test City’s resolve and Robins admits it’s a “big test” for the club to see if they can keep hold of him, the manager firmly believing his value will increase if he stays with Coventry for a bit longer.
Whether he goes or not may also be influenced by the player and his advisors.
Certainly if McCallum wants to leave, City may be forced to try to get the biggest price they can before Friday’s 11pm transfer window deadline rather than keep an unhappy player.
With a stack of top flight and Championship clubs having already been linked with him, from Champions-elect Liverpool at the top end to Aston Villa at the other, as well as the likes of Leeds United from the second tier, it remains to be seen if any other clubs will be sparked into life – a situation that could set up a bidding war for his services.
Scouts have turned out in their numbers to watch McCallum on a regular basis after he broke into the first team where he is now Robins’ first-choice player at left wingback, making 27 appearances so far this season after pushing himself ahead of rival Brandon Mason.
The Coventry Telegraph understands that should any club meet City’s valuation that they would look for a loan-back option to ensure McCallum sees out the remainder of the season with the Sky Blues who are pushing for promotion. Here’s what Robins said when he revealed the news after Tuesday night’s goalless draw at Fleetwood Town: “Things might start hotting up, so stay tuned. We are trying to keep hold of the squad and everyone together.”
Things might start hotting up, so stay tuned. We are trying to keep hold of the squad and everyone together.
Mark Robins