Charlton Athletic boss Lee Bowyer has claimed that it is going to be tough to keep star striker Lyle Taylor at the club moving forward.

The 30-year-old's current deal is set to expire this summer and the club have not yet been able to negotiate a new contract with the striker.

Taylor has been a talismanic figure at the South London club over the past two seasons. The Addicks number nine fired them into the Championship last term, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists, and has been a key man again in the current campaign.

Taylor has been hampered by injury issues this season but despite missing 15 Championship games, he is the club's top scorer with 11 goals in his 22 appearances.

The Charlton striker's future remains unclear and, speaking to Sky Sports, Bowyer has made a worrying claim about keeping hold of him.

He said: "To try and keep him at the club I think is going to be tough.

"He's so big for us. I was thankful to the owners that they didn't sell him in January because they could've. They could've sold him in January and they didn't."

Whatever the striker's long-term future holds, Taylor's first job when the 2019/20 season gets back underway will be to help Charlton escape relegation.

The Addicks are 22nd in the table as things stand – one place and two points adrift of safety.

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The Verdict

Taylor has been a monumental player for Charlton over the past two seasons, firing them to promotion and then proving himself a force in the Championship.

Bowyer's claim about his future is certainly a worrying one as it seems the Addicks boss feels that the 30-year-old is set to leave the club at the end of his current deal.

You can't blame Taylor for wanting to leave. On top of the chaos that seems to be going on off the field at Charlton, the striker is 30 now and may not get too many chances to move to a bigger club.

That said, it would be a huge blow for Charlton.