Huddersfield Town linked with £350,000 bid for Coventry City striker

Jun 16 2009 By Doug Thomson

COVENTRY’S Robbie Simpson could be a frontline target for Town.

Sources in the West Midlands suggest Lee Clark has tabled a £350,000-plus bid for the 24-year-old striker.

The Galpharm manager insists his interest is nowhere near that stage, but has confirmed the former non-league player is one he is aware of.

"Myself and my staff have seen quite a bit of Coventry, and he’s one of a number of names we’ve noted," said Clark.

Simpson has netted seven goals in 71 outings (43 of them from the bench) in his two years at Coventry, who paid Cambridge United £70,000 to bring him to the Ricoh Arena.

The Championship club, who visit Town for a friendly on Saturday, August 25, have just taken up the option of a one-year contract extension on a player who was with Norwich as a teenager before making his name with Cambridge City, then United.

But with Leon Best, Clinton Morrison and Freddy Eastwood already in situ and manager Chris Coleman keen to sign another striker, it’s believed they would be open to offers.

And it’s also thought the player himself is keen for regular football and the chance to prove his penalty-area prowess.

Clark says he’s confident of bringing in the kind of goal- getter who will spearhead a League I promotion push next season.

But he has also warned Town fans they may have to be patient as the search for a striker goes on.

The Galpharm boss, who will discover his side’s first-round Carling Cup opponents today (9.30am) and the league fixture list tomorrow (10.00am), believes he has made two top-quality additions to the squad in former Southend centre-back Peter Clarke and ex-Tranmere midfielder Antony Kay.

It’s no secret that Clark is aiming to create a new-look spine to his side, and while frontman Lee Novak has arrived from Gateshead and the Jonathan Tehoue deal could yet be resurrected, the manager is also looking to land a scorer.

"It’s very high on the agenda, and we have specific targets," continued Clark, who welcomes his players back for pre-season training in less than a fortnight.

"In an ideal world, I’d love to have all my new men here when we start training (on June 29), but if we have to wait a while, then so be it.