Leeds United make Ao Tanaka U-turn - it'll affect Coventry City and Man Utd hopes | OneFootball

Ao Tanaka could be set to stay at Leeds after being mooted for a potential switch to Coventry this summer

Coventry City have been officially promoted to the Premier League, with Frank Lampard's side now setting their sights on clinching the Championship title to cap off what has been a historic season at the CBS Arena.

It's nearly time to say goodbye to Coventry, with their 1-1 draw away to Blackburn Rovers last Friday, courtesy of a late header from Bobby Thomas, enough to see the Sky Blues officially promoted.

It has been a truly extraordinary year for all of those involved at the club, with former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard deserving the lion's share of the credit for his role from the dugout, having excelled since taking charge from Mark Robins in late 2024.

When he was appointed, and Robins was dismissed, there was, understandably, a huge amount of discourse throughout the Coventry fanbase, with Robins having guided them from the depths of League Two to the brink of promotion to the Premier League, as Lampard needed time to convince supporters that he was the right person to take the club forward.

It didn't take him long to prove just that, as, although they lost out in the play-off semi-final last time around to eventual winners Sunderland, Coventry bounced back emphatically this campaign, and are well worth their place in the Premier League.

Preparations for the summer transfer window will have no doubt already begun, but they could already be set to face a transfer blow for a midfield sensation also wanted by Manchester United, with his current side making a U-turn on his future.

Coventry had been mooted with a transfer swoop for Leeds United's Ao Tanaka as Man United plots raid

With promotion officially confirmed, Lampard and owner Doug King will be turning their attentions to the summer transfer window, with it likely to be a busy few months of incomings and outgoings at the CBS Arena.

It had been previously mooted by FootballInsider that Coventry could make a move for Leeds star Ao Tanaka, with the midfielder having struggled for game time since the Whites earned their own promotion to the Premier League.

The 27-year-old was sensational last season, in what was his first year in England, having joined Leeds from German side Fortuna Dusseldorf for just £2.9 million in the summer of 2024, being voted Leeds United Players' Player of the Year for the 2024–25 season by his teammates, as well as being named in the 2024–25 EFL Championship Team of the Season.

However, despite this, regular minutes at Elland Road have thus far eluded the Japanese international, with the arrival of Anton Stach from Hoffenheim and Sean Longstaff from Newcastle United, as well as the presence of Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev limiting his game time.

Man United were also recently linked with a shock move for Tanaka following his lack of game time, as per TEAMtalk, but the midfielder has recently found a way back into Daniel Farke's side, with solid performances against the Red Devils and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league, as well as West Ham United in the FA Cup.

Now, FootballInsider has reported that Leeds could now make a U-turn on their transfer stance on Tanaka, with the 27-year-old now looking increasingly likely to stay in South Yorkshire after impressing in his limited appearances.

Leeds themselves edge ever closer to securing safety in the top-flight at the expense of one of Nottingham Forest, West Ham, or Tottenham Hotspur.

Leeds' decision to keep Tanaka could well spoil any plans Coventry had to make a move for the midfielder, with the former Kawasaki Frontale star having likely been high up on Lampard's list as potential summer targets.

Lampard will be well aware that he has to be ruthless when it comes to transfer decisions this summer, as though each of Matt Grimes, Victor Torp, and Frank Onyeka have impressed this campaign, upgrades in the centre of the park may well need to be made.

However, it now looks like Tanaka won't be heading out of the Elland Road exit door, which will surely come as a big blow to Coventry, who had previously been touted with a swoop.

Frank Lampard can cross Ao Tanaka off the transfer shortlist at Coventry as Leeds reverse transfer decision on the Japanese star

Any plans to swoop for Tanaka this summer now appear to be quashed for Coventry and Lampard, who must now cross him off their list and prepare the pursuit of other targets.

It will almost certainly be a busy few months at the club to prepare them for the trials and tribulations of Premier League football once again after a 25-year absence, as Lampard will know better than most what it takes to survive in the English top flight.

Having taken charge of both Chelsea and Everton in the Premier League to varying degrees of success, with over 600 appearances in the top flight as a player, few come more experiened than the former England midfielder.

Lampard will know what he wants from his central midfielders, and although a move for Tanaka now looks increasingly difficult, he will surely have other targets in mind, as it looks to be an exciting summer at the CBS Arena.