Coventry City centre-back Kyle McFadzean doesn't want star striker Viktor Gyokeres to leave the club unless an interested club are willing to fork out at least £30m for him, speaking to BBC CWR.
The Swedish forward has been in fine form for the Sky Blues once again this term, proving to be key to their revival with nine goals in 19 league appearances with his side lifting themselves off the bottom of the table and into 11th place.
If the Midlands outfit and the striker can retain their current form, they will be in the top six sooner rather than later but it's currently unclear whether the ex-Brighton man will remain at the Coventry Building Society Arena beyond the January transfer window.
His contract in the Midlands expires in the summer of 2024 and with the player yet to put pen to paper on fresh terms, the Sky Blues' board could potentially be willing to cash in on the 24-year-old in 2023.
Scoring nine league goals this season and 17 last term though, manager Mark Robins has warned the hierarchy that his star man up top is irreplaceable.
And McFadzean is another key figure who has urged the board to take a strong stance on Gyokeres despite the fact his current deal is continuing to run down.
He said (via Coventry Live): "We need to put a price tag on him, hopefully at least £30million because the club can’t be selling someone like this, such an asset shouldn’t be let go for less than that. No chance!"
The Verdict:
Considering how valuable he has been to their cause, the Sky Blues should be looking to hold out for around £20m even though he has less than two years left on his current contract.
If they do cash in on him in January, Robins should be given at least 75% of those funds to bring in a replacement and improve other aspects of his team, because they didn't enjoy the best summer window in terms of incomings.
A left-sided player may be required with Tayo Adaramola returning to Crystal Palace early and more competition being needed for Jake Bidwell.
And they may even decide to rebuild their forward department when January comes along if Gyokeres goes - because Matt Godden isn't a player that can play a 46-game season and the void created by Gyokeres' potential departure would be huge.
If the Sky Blues' owners fail to make a decent amount of this potential revenue available, then Robins should feel aggrieved because he has worked within limited budgets for such a long time now and needs to be given more resources.