Charlton Athletic are apparently planning a deal for Birmingham City forward Lyndon Dykes, as the Scotland international seeks the minutes he believes will secure a berth in Steve Clarke’s team for the FIFA World Cup.

According to an update from the Daily Record (10:53AM on January 2nd), both the Addicks and Blues have had patchy starts to their Championship campaigns after being promoted from League One as champions or play-off winners.

Nathan Jones’ side had been one of the surprise packages in the early weeks of the season, but they have since faded, despite recording an exceedingly credible draw against league leaders Coventry City at The Valley on New Year’s Day.

Birmingham, meanwhile, were widely expected to make an immediate impact in the second tier after following their record-breaking promotion campaign under Chris Davies with another extremely aggressive and well-documented summer spending binge.

However, the Blues’ manager has seen his side’s performance levels plummet in recent weeks, with a 1-1 draw against Charlton at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park on December 13th being one of seven games without a win as they prepare to face the Reds’ previous opponents in a crucial West Midlands derby in the Second City on Sunday afternoon.

Davies has recently experienced an availability crisis across all departments due to international call-ups, injuries, and suspensions, resulting in a handful of his players who had previously been linked with exit, primarily the duo of Liverpool and Brighton loanees Eiran Cashin and Lewis Koumas, receiving plenty of minutes during the current round of relentless fixtures.

However, while the 40-year-old has frequently praised Dykes’ mentality, departure talk has enveloped the 48-time international in recent weeks and months, and those conditions appear to be continuing.

Charlton Athletic are considering a deal for Birmingham City striker Lyndon Dykes, who has previously been linked with leaving.

Dykes has become a familiar name in the Championship in recent years, owing largely to his original tenure with Charlton’s capital rivals, Queens Park Rangers, after arriving to West London from Livingston on an initial four-year contract in August 2020.

Dykes, who had spent nearly four years at Loftus Road, was one of many SPFL-linked signings made by former Celtic assistant Davies last summer, moving from W12 for a reputed £1 million on a three-year contract until the summer of 2027.

Despite having considerable of experience, the big forward was frequently used as a substitute for Jay Stansfield and Alfie May last season, as the aforementioned combination scored 35 of the Blues’ 84 League One goals combined.

However, the 30-year-old has undoubtedly become a cult figure at St. Andrew’s for his collection of goals, many of which have been late winners, such as his header against Bradford City in the EFL Trophy semi-final 11 months ago, as well as dramatic finishes against Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City in the early weeks of the current season.

However, as Dykes wants to play in the World Cup after playing an important role in the Tartan Army’s qualifying campaign, it is fair to say that only two of his 20 league appearances this season call his ambitions into question.

In the last phases of the summer window, Preston North End, Hibernian, and Aberdeen expressed interest in the striker, but no deal was made.

However, with the current transfer window open until February 2nd, it has been reported that Charlton are aiming to bolster their striking department by signing Dykes, who has emerged as a key target on Jones’ wishlist.

Charlton Athletic and Lyndon Dykes could benefit significantly from the Birmingham City arrangement.

In the run-up to the transfer window, Davies stated that Birmingham “will work” with Dykes if the proper opportunity to go arose for all parties.

In this case, a return to London would benefit everyone involved, as his physical presence and overall intelligence would bolster an attack that has only scored 23 goals in 24 Championship games this season, with Sonny Carey currently leading the Addicks’ individual scoring charts with five.

Dykes has already scored two goals and assisted once this season, playing behind Stansfield, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Marvin Ducksch.

It was also reported last month that a new striker remains on Davies’ own priority list, implying that such developments may have allowed Dykes to move on to pastures new, ending lengthy uncertainty about his immediate future in the process and providing a significant confidence boost.