Coventry City facing new Fulham transfer threat to seal Aston Villa raid | OneFootball

Coventry City's potential move for Aston Villa's Ross Barkley has plunged into doubt with the emergence of Fulham's interest

Coventry City have already seen themselves linked to a plethora of talent after the club secured their long-awaited return to the Premier League, but could be set to miss out on one of their primary targets.

Frank Lampard has orchestrated Coventry's return to the top-flight after a 25-year absence, with the former Chelsea and England midfielder forever going down in Sky Blues folklore.

However, he will be hoping his journey with the club is just beginning, as the 47-year-old prepares for a huge summer window at the CBS Arena, where he will be aiming to strengthen Coventry's squad in preparation for the Premier League.

The current Coventry squad lacks much, if any, Premier League experience, with midfielder Frank Onyeka the only player to have played much top-flight football in England during their career.

Lampard must aim to remedy that, and their link to Aston Villa's Ross Barkley made a lot of sense in this regard, although they could be set to miss out on the former Everton man, with competition from Premier League rivals having recently emerged.

Coventry City face competition from Fulham for the signature of Aston Villa's Ross Barkley

Ross Barkley is a player who has caught the attention of Coventry in recent weeks, according to journalist Alan Nixon, with the 32-year-old set to leave Aston Villa this summer, with his contract at Villa Park due to expire.

Unai Emery's side does have an option to extend that deal by a further year if they wish, but given his lack of game time and age, it would be a surprise if they were to take up that option.

Barkley has made just 20 appearances in all competitions for Villa this season, scoring twice, but has been limited to just over 600 minutes of league football this campaign.

He will be hoping to lift the Europa League trophy with the Midlands outfit before his departure, with Coventry preparing a move this summer, though they may now face some competition for his signature.

Marco Silva's Fulham are seemingly also looking to add some experience to their midfield ranks this summer with the addition of Barkley, with Alan Nixon reporting that the Cottagers have joined the race to sign him on a free this summer.

Nixon has also stated that the West London outfit will be able to offer superior wages than those of Coventry's, whilst also offering him a route back to the capital, where he had previously spent four-and-a-half years with Chelsea.

However, Lampard worked with Barkley whilst together at Stamford Bridge, with the midfielder making 21 appearances under the current Coventry boss with the Blues, and could be looking to reunite this summer.

Joining Coventry would provide the chance to remain in the Midlands too, though, with it unclear as to what his preference would be at this stage, who is in the driving seat for his signature is up for debate.

Frank Lampard will be hoping to fend off interest from Fulham to secure the signing of Ross Barkley this summer

As Coventry prepares for Premier League football, Lampard will have to make some tough decisions this summer.

Whilst he would love to keep the core of the squad around, football can be a cruel sport with little time for sentiment, and he must make the decision to let some players on the periphery depart in the coming months.

Bringing in Barkley would spell bad news for someone like Josh Eccles, for example, who would almost certainly see himself pushed to the fringes upon his arrival.

However, Lampard needs more Premier League experience and quality, and someone like Barkley, with over 300 top-flight appearances to his name, would provide that in abundance. But first, they must compete with Fulham for his services.