Coventry City: Fresh Norman Bassette exit claim emerges | OneFootball

Norman Bassette has not been a part of Frank Lampard's plans at the CBS Arena

Coventry City outcast Norman Bassette is set for a second loan move of the campaign away from the Championship's table toppers, with it being reported that German side, FC Kaiserslautern, have agreed a temporary switch for the Belgian forward which includes an option-to-buy.

The Sky Blues are hoping to end what would be a 25-year exile from the Premier League at the end of the current campaign, having set the pace in the second tier thus far, despite a faltering run of form across the hectic Christmas and New Year period.

In what is Frank Lampard's first full season in charge at the Coventry Building Society Arena, the former Chelsea and England midfield icon has opted to make a handful of tweaks to his squad, who have since accumulated 52 points from their opening 26 league games.

The 47-year-old focused on a plethora of defensive-themed additions in the summer transfer window, with the standout signing on this particular front being that of Carl Rushworth, with the goalkeeper being in inspired form since his loan switch from Brighton and Hove Albion was confirmed.

Eight players also exited the club across the summer, the vast majority of whom had previously found themselves on the fringes of City's squad under Lampard and his predecessor, Mark Robins.

Bassette was one name who fell into this particular category, despite moving to the West Midlands in the summer of 2024, when Coventry agreed an undisclosed fee with SM Caen to acquire his services on a four-year contract.

However, after only making a select number of appearances in his maiden season with the Sky Blues, the 21-year-old is set for yet another challenge in mainland Europe, and one which could determine his future whereabouts if the agreement proves to be successful for himself and the Bundesliga.2 outfit.

As previously mentioned, Bassette was viewed as a long-term signing in the final window of Robins' lengthy second spell in this part of the Midlands, making his debut in a 1-0 home defeat to Norwich City on August 31st, 2024.

He would then be in and out of the side before Robins was, at the time, controversially relieved of his duties by Sky Blues owner, Doug King, before generating plenty of headlines in a frenetic 2-2 draw against Sheffield United last November.

Indeed, Bassette would register his maiden goal in English football against Chris Wilder's side before his antics played a major part in the well-documented dismissal of Blades centre-back, Anel Ahmedhodzic.

He would then start in seven of Lampard's first nine league outings in charge whilst Haji Wright recovered from an injury layoff, before seeing his minutes gradually reduce as the Sky Blues shot up the standings and towards the play-off places for a second time in three years.

His final start of the league campaign would also come against Norwich in a 2-1 defeat back in January, before featuring for five minutes in a crucial victory over Portsmouth last April.

After a summer of uncertainty, the Belgian youth international then saw a loan switch to French Ligue 2 side Stade de Reims confirmed on Deadline Day back in September.

Yet, after making his debut for the club in a 1-1 draw against FC Annecy on September 13th, his first loan stint away from the Sky Blues hasn't gone according to script.

Bassette made just 12 league appearances for Reims, scoring once, with that goal coming in a 4-1 home rout against Clermont Foot on September 23rd.

His final appearance for Reims came on December 13th against Red Star FC, with Sky Deutschland reporter, Florian Plettenberg, reporting on Monday night that his loan stint in France has been cut short, and that he is set to join Kaiserslautern for the remainder of the season.

'Die roten Teufel' are currently seventh in Bundesliga.2, and Plettenberg reports that, as well as the fact Bassette is due for a medical at the Fritz-Walter-Stadium on Tuesday, the German second tier side could sign the forward on a permanent basis in the summer.

Norman Bassette exit makes sense for Coventry City

At 21 years of age, Bassette is clearly a player with strong potential. However, Coventry's current predicament makes it hard to envisage where the striker fits in at the CBS, particularly if promotion is achieved.

The fact he has failed to pull up any trees in the French second tier will also be a slight concern for Lampard, meaning that a switch to a new environment is clearly the best course of action, and that City could still recoup some of the funds they parted with to secure his services on a long-term contract 18 months ago.