Steve Bruce has this morning confirmed that the club have agreed a fee with Championship sides Coventry City and Nottingham Forest for Stern John and it was now up to the player to make his decision.
The Trinidad and Tobago international has only returned to the club today from international duty and Bruce admitted that he hadn't had the opportunity to speak to his striker. The Blues boss did reveal that John will not be part of the Blues squad that travels up to Middlesbrough this afternoon as he spends the next couple of days pondering his next move.
"We've agreed a fee with a couple of clubs, Coventry and Forest," said Bruce. "Unfortunately Stern has only just got back from Trinidad and Tobago today, so I haven't had the chance to speak to him personally. "We've left it up to the lad and I'll give him the weekend to make sure he picks the one that is best for him. "The hardest part when you get to this level is keeping everyone happy. Obviously you're going to get a few disgruntled players. "I think Stern accepted being one of the four strikers but with the addition of Dwight Yorke, his chances are going to be limited. "I know he wants to play football. He is a great player and will do a good job for someone."
Bruce paid tribute to the 27-year-old who played an integral role in getting the club promoted to the Premiership. "I am going to go with four strikers but, if I'm being truthful, Stern is probably my favourite," admitted the Blues manager. "He has done fantastically well for us and he probably got us where we are now with eight goals in 15 games when he first arrived for £100,000 from Notts Forest. "He scored the winner at Millwall in the play-off semi-final and the assist for Geoff Horsfield in the final. "He has done more than most, that's for sure, and it is a big wrench that he will be leaving."