Coventry City will move for Portsmouth striker Conor Chaplin if Marc McNulty joins Reading, according to The Portsmouth News.

McNulty is reportedly closing in on a switch to Championship side Reading in a deal which could rise to £1.5m.

The Scotsman's departure will leave a major void at Coventry after he hit 28 goals to fire them to promotion.

But Coventry are ready to move quickly to sign Chaplin as his replacement.

The Portsmouth academy graduate is growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of first-team chances at the south coast club and could be interested in a move.

The 21-year-old is in his final year of his Portsmouth contract with Coventry hoping to wrap up a bargain deal.

Chaplin only started 13 games last season and has been a substitute in 85 of his 121 games for the club, which have yielded 25 goals.

After netting twice in the pre-season fixture against Cork City, he could be hoping to convince Kenny Jackett that he is the man for the job but Brett Pitman is still the first-choice.

Coventry currently have Maxime Biamou, Jonson Clarke-Harris, Jordan Ponticelli and Stuart Beavon as their striker options but they need to replace McNulty's goals after growing reliant on them next year.

Chaplin could come in as McNulty's replacement.

The Verdict

Losing McNulty would be absolutely devastating for Coventry because of how important he was and I am not convinced that leaving now would be the best career move for him.

But Chaplin would be an excellent replacement as he has always been able to offer goals when he has played.

This could be the fresh start the youngster needs as well: a new environment where he gets starts every week, lining up alongside the likes of Biamou, Tom Bayliss, Jodi Jones and Tony Andreu who will provide him with service.

Portsmouth and Coventry fans - What do you make of this? Let us know below...