WANDERERS are just 24 hours away from missing out on Lukas Jutkiewicz to local rivals Burnley.

It is understood the Premier League club yesterday met Middlesbrough’s £1.5million asking price for the 25-year-old striker and are now keen to press ahead with the deal.

That leaves the Whites with a swift decision to make. Sources close to the player are still insisting he would favour a move to the Macron Stadium but with Derby County, Wolves and now Burnley offering a route away from Teesside, Jutkiewicz wants to see his future sorted quickly.

Dougie Freedman is desperately short on firepower with just a month remaining until the Championship season kicks-off at Watford.

Jermaine Beckford and Craig Davies are the only senior strikers available for the pre-season tour of Scandinavia, which kicks-off tonight at Brondby.

And there is no doubt who Wanderers fans want to see their club invest in – with a landslide 83 per cent of them voting on our website in favour of making the former Everton front man the number one target of the summer.

Jutkiewicz, dubbed “Juke” by the supporters last season, proved a massive hit on the terraces with seven goals in 20 appearances.

His form attracted interest from several Championship clubs but the move made by top flight Burnley yesterday is bound to have caused serious concern at Wanderers.

The Clarets have already shelled out £500,000 to sign Marvin Sordell this summer and could now land another blow on their Lancashire rivals.

The Whites had been reluctant to enter into a bidding war for the striker and have waited patiently as a bid from Derby was rejected by Boro.

Burnley now appear to have set the price, leaving Eddie Davies and Phil Gartside with their biggest decision of the summer.

Meanwhile, sources in Coventry claim the Sky Blues are not in talks with Tom Eaves as has been heavily rumoured in the last few weeks.

Steven Pressley has been strongly linked with the 22-year-old target man and monitored his progress last season. But reports in the Midlands claim he is not on a shortlist of three strikers the Scot is looking to sign before the start of the season.