Coventry City & Ipswich Town receive Carl Rushworth transfer boost as Brighton news emerges | OneFootball

Coventry could be set for a boost in their Carl Rushworth pursuit as Brighton target Freiburg's Noah Atubolu

Coventry City and Ipswich Town are favourites for automatic promotion back to the Premier League, and both could be set for a boost in their summer pursuits of Carl Rushworth.

It's been an extraordinary year at the CBS Arena for Coventry, who have one foot in the Premier League as things stand.

The Sky Blues have been the standout side in the Championship throughout the entirety of this campaign, and are well deserving of their imminent return to England's top division.

Plans for recruitment this summer will already be in place, as it is no secret that the club have outlined their intentions to bring back Brighton and Hove Albion loanee Carl Rushworth to the club this summer after a remarkable personal season.

The 24-year-old has been excellent between the sticks for the Sky Blues, with his performances not going unnoticed by promotion rivals Ipswich Town, who are reportedly interested in making a swoop for the shot-stopper this summer, as recent news may boost both clubs' prospects of making a move for him this summer.

Brighton's pursuit of Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu could open the door for Carl Rushworth's exit

Rushworth has been the Championship's most outstanding goalkeeper this season, and whilst Coventry's attack will get the lion's share of praise for firing them to promotion, his performances between the sticks have been crucial to those efforts.

Having prevented 7.9 goals across the season thus far, according to FotMob, no goalkeeper comes close to having prevented more, and it makes perfect sense why the Sky Blues are interested in making his loan permanent, and why Ipswich are keen to snatch him from their grasp.

Both clubs may well be set to see their hopes of securing a permanent switch for Rushworth this summer take a significant boost, as, according to Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenburg via X, Brighton have outlined Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu as a potential target this summer.

Fears over a potential exit of Dutch international Bart Verbruggen have emerged as of late, and instead of relying on Rushworth, who is due to return to the Amex this summer, the Seagulls have turned their attentions elsewhere, much to the undoubted delight of Coventry and Ipswich.

Brighton have an array of excellent goalkeepers on their books, with Verbruggen battling with Jason Steele for a place between the sticks on the South Coast this season, whilst both Rushworth and James Beadle have excelled on loans to the Championship.

Despite this, Fabian Hurzeler's side have turned their attentions to the Bundesliga to look for a potential Verbruggen replacement, with a permanent exit of Rushworth this summer looking increasingly likely.

With just one year remaining on his current terms at Brighton, the Seagulls must make a decision regarding the future of Rushworth this summer, who will be eager to make the step-up to the Premier League next season.

It's unlikely the 24-year-old will settle for anything other than a starting berth in the top flight, and if this is something Brighton cannot guarantee, they may be forced to cash in on him this summer, as both Coventry and Ipswich loom over a potential deal.

Frank Lampard and Kieran McKenna are set to battle numerous Premier League sides for Carl Rushworth's signature this summer

Coventry and Ipswich are not the only clubs said to be interested in Rushworth this summer.

TEAMtalk have reported that Leeds United and Newcastle United are said to be tracking the progress of the 24-year-old, and are set to offer both the Championship automatic promotion hopefuls stiff competition to claim his signature this summer.

After a standout campaign at the CBS Arena, it's likely that Coventry remain in the driving seat to bring Rushworth back to the club this summer, and would likely reinstate him at their number one, but with other clubs lurking, a deal becomes slightly more complicated.

In any case, Brighton's active interest elsewhere gives those teams in pursuit of Rushworth a boost, as both Lampard and McKenna are set to go toe to toe for the England youth international this summer.