Lincoln City make bid for Crystal Palace sensational star forward with aim to strengthen the attacking role
League One club were keen on Crystal Palace prospect last summer before his move to Cheltenham Town.
Lincoln City have submitted a bid for Cheltenham Town striker Rob Street, Gloucestershire Live understands.
The League One club are thought to have been impressed by the 22-year-old’s performances during a loan spell at Shrewsbury Town during the 2022/23 campaign and the first half of last season at Cheltenham.
Street turned down the offer of an extended contract at Crystal Palace to join Cheltenham on a three-year deal last summer, but Lincoln were among the other clubs interested in him then.
He scored three goals in 22 appearances for the Robins before suffering a knee injury during the first half of the 2-1 defeat at Derby County on January 27.
It was Street who ended the club’s long wait for a goal last term, putting them 1-0 up at home to Derby before the Rams levelled to claim a point at Whaddon Road.
He also netted in the 2-0 home win over Oxford United and the FA Cup first round defeat at AFC Wimbledon.
Street spent time on loan at then National League side Torquay United and League Two club Newport County AFC during his time progressing through the ranks at Palace.
He has spent the last two years in League One and now looks set to stay in the third tier with the Imps, who are managed by Michael Skubala.
The number of players departing Cheltenham this summer is expected to continue to rise.
They play their first pre-season friendly at Bishop’s Cleeve on Friday night (7.45pm).
The Imps missed out on the play-offs in agonising fashion last season, finishing seventh in the third tier. Their form since the turn of the year took them from mid-table obscurity to genuine play-off contenders. They eventually entered the final day within the top six, but a defeat against champions Portsmouth saw them replaced by Oxford United, who went on to secure a place in the Championship.
A large part of Lincoln’s early season struggles was their lack of firepower. They suffered serious injuries to key attackers Tyler Walker and Ben House, meaning goals were at a premium. However, they opted to recall youngster Freddie Draper from his season-long loan spell at Walsall in January to aid the front line.
It was the temporary acquisition of Luton Town forward Joe Taylor which proved to be a pivotal moment though. Having hit 12 goals for Colchester United during the first half of the season, the Hatters opted to send him to League One to further test his abilities. His time at the LNER Stadium was just as fruitful, scoring 10 times in 19 appearances.
The 21-year-old has now returned to Luton and is expected to be given the opportunity to try his luck in the Championship. Lincoln still have an array of attacking options in Walker, Draper and House, as well as Reeco Hackett and Jovon Makama. That hasn’t stopped them launching a bid for Street though, with reports claiming the East Midlands outfit have made a significant offer.
