Coventry City have seen a bid of up to £3m for Liam Kitching rejected by Barnsley, according to the Barnsley Chronicle.

Barnsley signed Kitching from Forest Green Rovers in January 2021. Since then, the 23-year-old has gone on to play 90 times for the Tykes, playing an increasingly influential role at Oakwell.

Ex-Leeds United man Kitching was named club captain last week following the exit of Mads Andersen and is under contract with Barnsley until the summer of 2026. Now though, he’s drawn strong interest from the Championship.

The Barnsley Chronicle reports that Coventry City have made a bid for Kitching, only to be knocked back by the Tykes.

The Sky Blues’ bid included an initial fee of £2.5m though add-ons would have taken it to £3m. Barnsley’s valuation is higher though and they’re not keen to lose more key assets this summer as they look to maintain their own ambitions of rising from League One.

One to hold onto

As the new club captain, there’s no secret about how important Kitching is to Barnsley. After losing Andersen earlier this summer, an exit for their new skipper would be a blow.

Coventry City are undergoing a makeover this summer and even though they’ve signed Luis Bings (loan), Joel Latibeaudiere and recent Barnsley loan star Bobby Thomas, they could still do with another centre-back. Given Kitching’s ability and success at Barnsley, it is completely understandable that he’s on their radar.

1. However, after seeing a fairly significant bid turned down already, they could be wise to turn to other targets. Barnsley should be looking to stand firm amid interest in the Harrogate-born defender, but time will tell if Coventry are to return with another offer before the window slams shut on September 1st.