Trond Soltvedt could be leaving Coventry City two years after his transfer from the Norwegian club Rosenborg.

Southampton have offered £300,000 for the 32 year old midfielder, who was on the Coventry substitutes’ bench against them in the season’s opening game at Highfield Road on Saturday.

David Jones, Southampton’s manager would not comment specifically but said:

"He is one of several players we have looked at."

Jones, a former Coventry City player himself, likes Soltvedt’s nonstop aggressive play and the fact that he can get forward to score goals.

Coventry’s chairman Bryan Richardson confirmed:

"There is interest and we shall be talking to the player about it today."

Soltvedt is included in Coventry’s squad for tonight’s Premiership match against local rivals Leicester City. Richardson will discuss Southampton’s interest with him during the team’s stay at a Leicester hotel prior to the match.

If Coventry take the money, it will be £200,000 less than they paid for Soltvedt when they bought him from Rosenborg in July 1997.

He admitted he found the pace and power of the Premiership difficult to handle at first but he showed the necessary mental strength to come to terms with it.

He proved to be an honest 100-per-center who was the perfect foil for the playmaker Gary McAllister. Many Coventry fans were critical of the Norwegian international, but his team mates would not hear a word against him and manager Gordon Strachan showed his faith by selecting him for 69 matches over his two seasons at the club.