Coventry City take action in transfer pursuit of European midfielder | OneFootball

The Sky Blues have made an initial move to sign a former PSG player

Coventry City are interested in signing midfielder Antoine Bernede from Lausanne-Sport this summer.

That's according to a report from Swiss outlet 4-4-2.ch, who say the Sky Blues have already made contact with the player's representatives to express their interest.

Having come through the academy at French giants PSG, Bernede then began his senior career with the French giants.

He then moved to Austria to join RB Salzburg in February 2019, before joining Lausanne-Sport on loan in the 2023 January transfer window.

That move was then made permanent in the summer of 2023, but it seems as though he is now starting to once again attract attention in the market.

Coventry City pursuing Antoine Bernede deal with Lausanne-Sport

As per this latest update, Coventry are showing an interest in securing the services of Bernede this summer.

It is thought that the Championship club have spoken to the midfielder's entourage, signalling their intent to sign the player.

However, they are apparently yet to make a concrete offer to his current club to secure his services.

Indeed, it is claimed that Lausanne-Sport themselves are determined to retain the services of Bernede this summer, and so it would take a big offer to agree a deal for the midfielder.

As things stand, there are still two years remaining on the 26-year-old's contract with his current side, so they are not under pressure to sell this summer.

It is also said that Bernede has already turned down a move to French top-flight side AJ Auxerre - who have landed the services of Luton Town defender Gabriel Osho this summer - during the current transfer window.

Last season saw Bernede's side finish 10th in the Swiss top flight, just one position clear of a relegation play-off place in the 12-team league.

Coventry meanwhile, claimed a ninth-placed finish in the Championship last season, nine points adrift of the play-off places.

They have so far made three new first-team signings in the summer transfer window. Winger Raphael Borges Rodriguez, midfielder Jack Rudoni and centre-back Luis Binks - a Sky Blues loan player last season - all completing permanent moves to the CBS Arena, whilst Ephron Mason-Clark will be debuting following his January move from Peterborough United.

Antoine Bernede deal would be an interesting one for Coventry City

A move to sign Bernede would arguably would be a rather intriguing one for Coventry to make at this moment in time.

On the one hand, the pedigree he possesses - which includes plenty of titles from his time at Salzburg - does suggest he could be a useful option in the Championship for the Sky Blues.

However, when you look at the options they currently have in their squad, there could be a case that another midfielder does not need to be a priority for Coventry right now.

Ben Sheaf, Victor Torp, Josh Eccles, Jamie Allen, Jack Rudoni and Kasey Palmer are all adept at playing either in the holding role or the 10, so Mark Robins is well-stocked in those departments.

As a result, it could be a gamble to spend on Bernede now, given these suggestions that he may not be a particularly cheap option.

That could take funds out of the budget, that could be invested on other areas of the squad that may need reinforcing more significantly.

So with that in mind, it could be well worth keeping an eye on just how strongly Coventry actually pursue a deal for Bernede over the coming weeks.