Fresh Coventry City, Haji Wright transfer update emerges involving Besiktas | OneFootball

The Sky Blues' USMNT international forward continues to be the subject of departure talk

A fresh transfer update has emerged concerning the potential immediate future of Coventry City's American international forward, Haji Wright.

According to Turkish sports outlet, Fanatik, the Sky Blues striker could be set for a swift return to the Turkish Süper Lig, with his services currently courted by Istanbul giants, Besiktas.

Wright has been the subject of recent intense transfer speculation amid mixed reports, all whilst Frank Lampard's side continued to top the Championship table heading into Christmas Day.

Indeed, the West Midlands side are now six points clear at the top of the English second tier following a 1-1 draw against Southampton at St Mary's.

Ephron Mason-Clark initially put the Sky Blues ahead in the first half with his second strike in as many games, heading home a teasing Victor Torp delivery before Nathan Wood equalised for the South Coast side 11 minutes after the interval after Jay Dasilva had been sent off for City after a late and rash challenge on Wellington.

However, Middlesbrough's first defeat under the newly-appointed Kim Hellberg against Bristol City at Ashton Gate saw the Sky Blues slightly increase the gap between themselves and their North East promotion rivals, whilst further results mean they are now 11 points clear of Ipswich Town and Hull City, who are both third and fourth on 37 points after 22 games.

Undoubtedly, one of the main reasons behind Coventry's remarkable first four months of the campaign has been the stellar form of a plethora of attacking options at Lampard's disposal.

Throughout those first 22 games, City have found the back of the net 53 times, albeit it is currently Southampton's experienced forward, Adam Armstrong, who leads the individual scoring charts.

Despite his international pedigree, Wright has often divided opinion since signing for the Sky Blues under Mark Robins back in the summer of 2023, and so will the aforementioned update as links to Premier League strugglers, West Ham United, came to the fore a handful of days ago.

Fresh Coventry City, Haji Wright transfer update emerges - USMNT international could return to Türkiye

Wright arrived at the Coventry Building Society Arena two-and-a-half years ago as the Sky Blues looked to reshape their squad under Robins after the high-profile departures of Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer following a play-off final defeat to Luton Town in May 2023.

The Los Angeles native was acquired for a reported club-record fee from Turkish outfit, Antalyaspor, after scoring 31 times in just 64 appearances for the top-flight club.

Since then, Wright has featured in 89 Championship appearances under Robins and Lampard, scoring 36 times and posting a further nine assists alongside attacking and creative partners such as Jack Rudoni, Ellis Simms and Brandon Thomas-Asante.

The 27-year-old was the subject of exit talk with both Leicester City and Ipswich in January amid an ankle ligament injury, before being targeted by Leeds United last month, although it was claimed that Wright has no intention of leaving the Sky Blues anytime soon.

It was claimed last week that both Wright and Simms had been watched by West Ham representatives and that Coventry would be looking at a fee of between £15m and £20m for the 20-time international, before the Coventry Telegraph dismissed such links.

However, it has now been claimed by Fanatik that a potential return to Türkiye could be on the cards for the striker, with Besiktas looking to bolster their attacking options in the upcoming January transfer window.

A report states that representatives from the Sky Blues and the Black Eagles are set for talks, with those representing the Turkish side expected to fly to England in order to conduct such matters.

A potential fee has not been mentioned within the report, with Wright scoring nine times across 20 Championship and EFL Cup appearances so far this season, as he remains under contract at the CBS Arena until the summer of 2027.

Coventry City will hope to resist any potential Haji Wright transfer offers in early 2026

It has been an intriguing first period of the current campaign for Wright, who remains one of the division's leading scorers with eight goals in 18 second tier games, yet he hasn't found target since October 4th in a 5-0 success at Sheffield Wednesday.

However, when fully fit and firing, there is no disputing that the forward is capable of being one of the league's most lethal finishers, which will be key in City's aims of ending a lengthy exile from the Premier League.

It must also be factored in that there are still 18 months left on Wright's current deal, whilst Thomas-Asante still remains sidelined with a hamstring issue, meaning the Sky Blues and Lampard will be hoping to resist any potential offers for the USMNT forward in the upcoming window, whilst he hopes to nail down a starting spot in Mauricio Pochettino's World Cup squad.