Charlton Athletic 'poised' to beat Leicester City and Ipswich Town to sign Championship bagsman

Charlton Athletic are reportedly ‘poised’ to beat Leicester City and Ipswich Town to the signing of Birmingham City striker Lyndon Dykes this month as Nathan Jones looks to add extra firepower to his side.

The 30-year-old signed a three-year contract at St Andrew’s in August 2024, when completing a transfer move from QPR. The experienced striker, who has 177 Championship appearances to his name, has been a fringe player this season.

Dykes has never cemented a role in the starting XI under Chris Davies this term and that hasn’t helped his ambitions to be part of the World Cup squad in the summer. The striker has made 48 appearances for the national side but has started just one of Scotland’s last five matches.

Charlton Athletic in transfer race for Birmingham City striker

The72 name Leicester City and Ipswich Town as other sides also interested in a transfer move for Dykes this month. The outlet claims that Charlton Athletic are ‘poised to win the race’ but that a conclusion is yet to be reached.

The report also cites claims from Leicestershire Live that Birmingham City are ‘ready’ to let Dykes leave given his importance to Davies’ plans. It’s added that offloading Dykes would then allow the Blues to move for a new striker who would be more likely to push for a starting role.

Earlier this month, the Daily Record had reported that Charlton Athletic were ‘keen’ on a January move for Dykes. When asked about the transfer window earlier this month, Addicks boss Nathan Jones told reporter Richard Cawley: "I'm sleeping at the training ground and we're doing 15 hours a day. We cannot do any more to get people in. They (the speed of deals) will depend on other clubs. We know exactly who we want - we have enquired about other players."

Lyndon Dykes on St Andrew’s role this season

Speaking to the Birmingham City club website in October, Dykes spoke about his current role at St Andrew’s having bagged late winners against Swansea City and Blackburn Rovers. He said: “All I want is to help out the team as much as I can. I think I am one of the most experienced players here in terms of playing in the Championship, I've probably got over 150 games in this league. I know what it can be like, I know what going away to places like Blackburn means, it can be sticky there, it can be a tough place to go. When I got my chance on the field, I wanted to show what I can do, what I can bring to the team on the pitch.

“I was really happy the way we turned that game around. It was a great confidence builder and showed great determination from everyone. To score the winning goal was a great feeling, especially in front of the fans. I've played at Blackburn a few times now and I have never seen that away section so full, so it was a great end to the day and an amazing feeling to get my first Championship goal for Blues.”

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