Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer says that the club will allow midfielder George Lapslie to leave the club permanently in January, so long as their is a sell-on clause included in the deal.

Lapslie, who is currently on loan at League Two side Mansfield Town, is out of contract at the end of this season, and it was recently reported that the Addicks will sanction a permanent move for the 23-year-old for free January.

That is something that Bowyer now appears to have confirmed the club are willing to do, so long as their are financial certainties provided for Charlton further down the line.

Discussing the situation surrounding a potential permanent move away from The Valley for Lapslie, Bowyer was quoted by London News Online as saying: “The most important thing for George now is to get his own career kickstarted. He’s doing that at Mansfield and he’s out of contract with us in the summer.

"So yeah, we wouldn’t hold him back. That would be unfair. He’s at a good age now – 23 – where he needs to go and play regular football. We would never stop that from happening.

“We would always demand a sell on, like every club does. It’s only fair. This club developed him from a young age."

Indeed, Bowyer was full of praise for Lapslie's approach and work rate within the game, as he went on to add: “He is a great lad. You can never fault him. He crawls off the pitch every game because his attitude is spot on.

"He comes in and trains like a proper professional and gives you everything. He is a pleasure to work with.”

Can you get 16/16 on this Lee Bowyer quiz?

Since making the temporary move to Mansfield, Lapslie has made 16 appearances in all competitions for The Stags, scoring five goals and providing two assists.

Prior to that, the midfielder had made a total of 54 appearances for Charlton, during which time he found the net on three occasions.

The Verdict

Fair play to Bowyer and Charlton here.

Given Lapslie doesn't look like getting a chance in the Addicks' first-team any time soon, a move away does seem like his best chance of getting the regular football he needs to further his career.

The fact that Charlton are willing to let him leave for free gives him the best possible opportunity to do that in these difficult financial times, and offers his the chance of more stability and certainty sooner rather than later.

As a result, you do feel as though Charlton are entitled to include some clauses in any deal done for the player, and if he impresses others as much as he has done Bowyer recently, you would expect the Addicks to benefit from that at some point in the future.