Burnley striker Kyle Lafferty is the latest player claimed to be interesting Town manager Jim Magilton. The Blues boss has vowed to make changes to his squad after Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Charlton.

Lafferty, 20, will be well known to Magilton from his 14 international appearances with Northern Ireland. The Town manager was a BBC pundit throughout the Northern Irish side's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign in which Lafferty was a regular, usually from the bench. The Blues would also have sent a representative to watch the Clarets' recent game against Saturday's opponents Charlton.

Town fans will recall Lafferty's goal in a 1-1 draw with Burnley at Portman Road in December 2006. The 6ft 4in tall frontman is contracted to the Clarets until 2010.

Celtic made a £500,000 bid for Enniskillen-born Lafferty in January 2006 and the former Darlington loanee was linked with Premier League sides Wigan and Fulham in the summer, when he was reportedly valued at £2 million. It is unlikely that Jim Magilton would want to spend that much of his £12 million transfer war chest on one player.

Magilton said over the weekend that he will look to move on one or two of the current squad when the January transfer window opens: "We need different characters in the building as I have no more ammunition to fire at them.

"I will sell players if other clubs will have them. I want quality and character. Players who want to stand up and be counted. At the moment we haven't got enough of them.

“I'm under no illusions about expectation levels. Come January, if we get the investment, I'll use that pressure to inspire rather than intimidate me."

Over the weekend Hibernian's Rob Jones, Blackpool's Wes Hoolahan and Plymouth's David Norris were all again claimed to be Town targets by the tabloids, while Drogheda centre-half Graham Gartland was linked last week.

At last Monday's press briefing to confirm Marcus Evans's takeover, chairman David Sheepshanks said that the Blues will look to sign two or three players during January.

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