Lincoln City boss Michael Appleton has admitted to Lincolnshire Live that it appears likely that the club will lose at least two or three players by the end of the season. 

The Imps have built their solid foundations on the basis of signing young players before developing them and selling them on for profit, with this method having seen them rise up the leagues as a result.

The Sky Bet League One side have already seen Jorge Grant move to Championship Peterborough United and it appears likely that Tayo Edun is also attracting interest from elsewhere.

Now Appleton has made the following admission when asked about whether he expects to lose players to other clubs or not this season:

"By the end of this season, I've got absolutely no doubt that we'll lose two or three players. 

"In an ideal world, it'll be at the end of the season. The middle ground is January but you don't want to do that in the middle of the season.

"One thing is for sure, we're doing it right. The players are quite excited. They think they've got an opportunity to do something again this year."

Meanwhile the club are also looking to bring in some more new players of their own, with the Imps having already signed the likes of Chris Maguire, Hakeeb Adelakun, Lewis Fiorini, Lasse Sörensen, Josh Griffiths, Teddy Bishop and Dan N'Lundulu from Sunderland, Bristol City, Manchester City, Stoke City, West Brom, Ipswich Town and Southampton respectively.

The Imps are back in action this Tuesday as they play host to a free scoring Bolton Wanderers side at Sincil Bank.

The Verdict 

It's fair to say that Lincoln have always stuck to their principles over the past five or so years and it doesn't appear that their approach to transfers is going to change anytime soon.

Buying young players and selling them on for a good fee is a great method to utilise in what is a harsh market and if it continues to bear fruit, Appleton and co have no reason to change it.

Losing Grant was a big blow for the club but it seems that they are a bit more confident about keeping the likes of Edun moving forwards.

Overall the club have had a good window and it would be a bit of a shock to the system if they sold one of their key men this close to the deadline.