Brighton ready to deal Coventry City transfer blow involving Carl Rushworth | OneFootball

The Sky Blues have been linked with a permanent transfer for their loan ace

It now feels a question of 'when?' rather than if Coventry City return to the Premier League at the end of the Championship season, with Frank Lampard's side having just seven matches to play.

The Sky Blues are currently nine points clear of Middlesbrough at the top of the second tier table, having won seven of their last eight matches following a minor blip at the start of 2026.

As such, they are on track for a first spell in the top-flight for 25 years, and the excitement is unsurprisingly building in this part of the West Midlands as a result.

They could edge even closer to confirming their promotion over the course of the usually pivotal Easter weekend, during which they face off against Derby County and Hull City.

With the Championship's regular season now having just one month to go until its conclusion, clubs throughout the division will have, no doubt, already have one eye on their transfer plans for the summer.

Although the transfer window doesn't officially open until June 15th, that hasn't stopped the transfer rumour mill from already going into overdrive.

It remains to be seen which Sky Blues players will still remain a regular part of Lampard's plans should they get over the line in the promotion race in the coming weeks.

However, regardless of whether it is with Coventry or not, Carl Rushworth's performances on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion in CV6 look set to land the 24-year-old a first shot at Premier League gametime, with a new update now emerging on his future.

How Brighton feel about selling Carl Rushworth as Coventry City plot permanent transfer raid

The on-loan Seagulls man has now spent the past three seasons at Championship level, with his currently successful stint with Coventry coming after a mixture of fortunes with Swansea City and Hull respectively.

Rushworth has, unarguably, been the standout performer in his position in the division this term, resulting in suggestions that he could have earned a first senior call-up for England last November.

Unsurprisingly, his performances have also alerted plenty of clubs to his situation at the AMEX Stadium, given the fact he has never played a competitive match for the Seagulls, seven years after he joined the club's academy.

However, it has now been claimed by talkSPORT that Fabian Hurzeler's side are taking a 'relaxed' approach to the transfer circle that is involving two of their shot-stoppers, amid links that Bart Verbruggen could leave the South Coast side in the upcoming window.

A report states that the Seagulls are feeling this way amid talks that Tottenham Hotspur could target the Belgian if they remain in the Premier League, with new Spurs boss, Roberto De Zerbi, the man who signed him for Brighton three years ago.

However, the Seagulls have no concerns about a potential replacement given how Rushworth has performed for City this year, albeit there has been talk of Lampard targeting a permanent move amid claims that the loan ace is valued between £15m and £20m at present.

What Carl Rushworth recently said about his future amid Coventry City, Brighton transfer talk

Despite the fresh update, Rushworth has remained open-minded about what the future holds for his career, even stating that it might be better served by a permanent exit.

"I understand football is never easy and simple. Sometimes you've got to be selfish, see all the opportunities on the table," he recently stated.

"If that's here [Coventry], perfect, if it's at Brighton so be it. But if it's away from Brighton I'm happy to weigh up the option.

"I want to be a Premier League goalkeeper, I want to have an established career and I want to get there as quickly as I can."

However, it now remains to be seen which club that next step could be with, as the Sky Blues could have been handed an unwanted blow to their transfer pursuit.