Northern Ireland Striker Links To England Not True – Exclusive

Lincoln City are not currently pursuing a deal for Larne striker Lee Bonis, as has been reported recently.

A club insider has revealed exclusively to Euro Football News that they have not spoken to Bonis since initial interest a couple of years ago, and he is not a target this summer as they look to improve on their seventh-placed finish this season. This comes despite the Imps being credited with interest by the Belfast Telegraph.

The 24-year-old was linked with the Imps in 2021, but a move did not materialise at the time, and he left Portadown for Larne. Last year, he signed an extension to his contract with the Northern Irish side, valuing him at around €300,000 (£257,000). Chasing clubs were thought to include Derby County, Blackpool, Birmingham, Wigan, and Portsmouth, but the cost seemingly put them off.

Since then, he’s gone from strength to strength, hitting 25 goals this season as Larne won the NIFL Premiership. He’s recently been called up to the Northern Ireland squad and even netted in the Champions League against HJ Helsinki, albeit with a penalty. He’s scored 16 times in the league, and he has admitted he is hunting a move to England, which has kept a number of clubs on alert.

News that Lincoln is not part of the transfer equation is likely to be received positively by Burton Albion and Wycombe Wanderers, both of whom have also been linked with a swoop for the striker by journalist Alan Nixon. Wycombe have recently been taken over and have already flashed the cash, tempting Exeter City’s Alex Hartridge to Adams Park.

It’s believed the Imps are still hunting for another striker despite having three on their books. Ben House spent much of last season out injured, returning in March but scoring just once. Tyler Walker, last summer’s marquee signing, only returned from a long-term injury on the season’s final day, whilst Freddie Draper also had an unsettled stint in and out of the side following his excellent start to the season on loan at Walsall.

Writer’s View

It’s interesting to see that Bonis was an Imps target two years ago, and despite two goal-laden seasons, that is no longer the case. Clubs do deep due diligence on a player, and given the changes of the head coach at the LNER Stadium, they obviously no longer feel he is the right fit for them moving forward.

They have had some success with players coming from Ireland, with the likes of Sean Roughan, Jack Moylan and Dylan Duffy all looking like they’re going to be big players for the Imps. However, when it comes to a goalscorer, it seems they will turn their attention elsewhere.