Amid all of the uncertainty surrounding whether the soon to be out of contract players are going to agree to their proffered new deals or not, Coventry City have admitted that they are interested in signing Scunthorpe's Joe Murphy should Westwood decide to leave.
City manager Andy Thorn has reiterated that he would like Kieren Westwood to stay at the club, but he also has contingency plans in place to replace the highly respected Irish international 'keeper.
Murphy, like Westwood, is out of contract in the summer so would be available on a free transfer and as Scunthorpe have been relegated from The Championship, he might be agreeable to a move that would see him play in The Championship again next season.
Coventry City have long been linked with a move for Murphy and Thorn finally admitted that he is one of the goal keepers he is considering as a replacement for Westwood.
Most fans expect Westwood will leave Coventry City soon and he has been linked to more clubs than will be found in a golfers bag, but Thorn is still hoping to keep him at Coventry.
He said: "I have said to Kieren that we would love him to sign a new contract and if someone from the top flight comes in I won't stand in his way. We will move on to someone else. I have told the boy that. I am certainly not going to stand in people's way but it is a two way street."
Westwood missed the last two games of the season with a shoulder injury and it will keep him out of Ireland's squad for their Euro qualifier against Macedonia and the Carling Home International series in May and June.
His shoulder problem is being assessed and he may need a minor operation to correct the problem.
When quizzed about Murphy, Thorn said to the CT: "I am an admirer of Joe Murphy who is a decent keeper and been outstanding in a team that hasn't particularly done well, and that's no disrespect to them."
"Obviously we want Kieren to stay but if he doesn't then I have to have other options and have our ducks in a row and prepare in case we don't get people to re-sign. If we do, fantastic, but we can't be left up the creek without a paddle."