Coventry City: Mark Robins reacts to new Joel Latibeaudiere transfer news | OneFootball

Joel Latibeaudiere is the subject of reported interest from some of the top clubs in Europe, and Coventry City manager Mark Robins has given his response to these reports.

Mike McGrath of The Telegraph has said that both Ajax and Sporting Lisbon are interested in signing Coventry's 24-year-old, Jamaican international, central defender. The report added: "Sporting Lisbon are looking closely at Coventry centre-back Joel Latibeaudiere after their successful raid on the Championship club for Viktor Gyökeres.

"Gyökeres is the top scorer in the Portuguese Primeira Liga following his £20.5 million move from Coventry, with Latibeaudiere seen as a player who can also take the step from the second tier of English football."

Latibeaudiere has already got some experience of playing in Ajax's league (Eredivisie), having been with FC Twente prior to joining Swansea City in October 2020.

Robins has shared his thoughts on the news of interest in the defender, who has been a key part of their up-turn in form in the second half of the season, so far.

Mark Robins on European transfer interest in Joel Latibeaudiere

The news of interest in Latibeaudiere came as a bit of a surprise to the 54-year-old. When asked about the reports, by Coventry Live, Robins said: "I’m not expecting anything, so it will be a nice surprise or maybe an unwelcome surprise, or whatever. I honestly don’t know.

"I think we have got enough on our plates at the moment with the game against Leeds United this weekend. That will do us for the time being. We have to find some solutions to things and find some ability to cause them problems as well, which we have worked on.

"We will try to get to a position where we can have a good go at these because it’s a top team we’re facing tomorrow, there’s no doubt about it. But we’ll have a real good go."

Coventry could make a big profit from Joel Latibeaudiere

The Jamaican international joined the Sky Blues in the summer as a free agent, after leaving the Swans. He signed a four-year deal with the club, and, even though he joined the club for free, Swansea received a reported £500,000 compensation fee because he was under the age of 24, according to Wales Online.

Whatever they potentially sell him for, City are going to make a lot more than what they have invested in him. The Telegraph report didn't detail the sort of money that either of the two European clubs would be willing to spend on the 24-year-old, but, with Coventry's past record of selling on players who go on to be successful, like Gyokeres, they may be able to get a premium fee.

Because of the position he plays, it's unlikely that Sporting or Ajax would pay over the £20 million mark that the Swedish striker is said to have gone for, but a slightly lower eight-figure fee certainly wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility. You add on to that any potential sell-on fees that they would receive, like they are set to with Gyokeres, and Coventry would be sitting pretty.