Millwall, Hull City, West Brom & Coventry City set for £8m Sunderland transfer tussle | OneFootball

Anthony Patterson has spent the second half of the season on loan at Millwall

Millwall are firmly in the mix for automatic promotion to the Premier League as we approach the final fixtures of the season.

The Lions have ensured they will qualify for the play-offs at the very worst, with Alex Neil’s side level on points with second place Ipswich Town.

The London outfit have just two games remaining, while Kieran McKenna’s side have a fixture in hand with the final day of the regular season fast approaching.

Millwall have not competed in the top flight since 1990, but they could join Coventry City in securing a top two finish in the Championship this year.

They still also face competition from the likes of Southampton and Middlesbrough in a remarkably tight battle at the top.

It makes planning for the upcoming summer window difficult given they might not know their league status until the end of May, but Alex Neil will already have some ideas for how to improve the first team squad for next season.

Sunderland set Anthony Patterson price amid Millwall interest - Championship trio are also keen

According to ChronicleLive in the North East, Millwall are keen on a permanent deal to keep loanee goalkeeper Anthony Patterson in the summer.

Patterson joined the club at the end of the January transfer window from Sunderland on a temporary basis, and he has been a key part of Neil’s side since.

And it is now believed that the Black Cats have set an £8 million asking price for the shot stopper, who has fallen down the pecking order at the Stadium of Light.

The 25-year-old lost his place as the first-choice goalkeeper under Régis Le Bris with the arrival of Robin Roefs in the summer.

Patterson helped Sunderland gain promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs last year, but he did not make a single top flight appearance before moving to Millwall on loan thanks to the arrival of Robin Roefs.

But the South Bermondsey outfit face competition for his signature this summer, with the likes of Hull City and West Brom also interested in his services.

It’s understood that the newly-promoted Coventry are also monitoring his situation, and on top of those clubs being definitively interested in him, Derby County are tipped to make a move if Jacob Widell Zetterstrom is sold.

Coventry have been linked with a permanent move for Carl Rushworth, but it remains to be seen whether an agreement can be found with Brighton following his successful loan spell at the CBS Arena.

An £8 million price tag might be a stretch for Millwall if they remain in the Championship, but his performances since joining have been impressive, and it could be a fee worth paying.

The goalkeeper will want to prioritise getting game time, and a move away from Sunderland makes the most sense as Roefs has been an excellent addition at the Stadium of Light.

While Hull, West Brom and even Derby could all offer game time too, he is settled at the Den and that should give the Lions an advantage in the race to his signature.

However, if Coventry are the only club able to give him the chance to play in the Premier League, then that could prove too tempting to turn down at this stage of his career.