Coventry City tipped to explore double Burnley transfer despite £20m Troy Parrott preference | OneFootball

Coventry City could sign Zian Flemming, Lois Openda, or Troy Parrott to strengthen their forward line in preparation for the Premier League

Coventry City are intent on bolstering their attacking ranks ahead of next season's Premier League campaign.

The Sky Blues scored a whopping 97 goals in the Championship as they won the second-tier title this term, but there is no guarantee that Frank Lampard's current forward options can adjust to the top flight.

Coventry strikers Haji Wright, Ellis Simms, and Brandon Thomas-Asante all enjoyed successful individual campaigns, with the American finishing the season as the West Midlands outfit's top scorer on 17 league goals.

However, to help the Sky Blues survive in the Premier League, Lampard will have to bolster his squad in all areas of the pitch, even in his strongest department.

Coventry City, Zian Flemming move deliberated as £20m transfer preference claim made

Coventry and Ipswich have both eyed moves for Ireland striker Troy Parrott, who has scored more than 30 goals for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar this season, according to journalist Sebastien Vidal on X.

The former Tottenham man attracted plenty of attention in November, when he scored a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifier for his nation against Hungary.

There may be alternative attacking targets though on the radar of Frank Lampard and Doug King, and an according to Football Insider, the Sky Blues are planning to rival Leeds United's interest in Burnley forward Zian Flemming.

The 27-year-old has hit double figures in the Premier League this season, even though the Clarets have suffered relegation back to the Championship.

As per Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness, Coventry have also eyed a deal for Lois Openda, who has struggled for Juventus this season, having previously starred for RB Leipzig, so it appears evident that they're looking to stock up in attack.

Football League World asked our Sky Blues fan pundit, Chris Deez, what his thoughts were on his club's interest in Flemming, and whether he would prefer to sign the Burnley man instead of Parrott or Openda, and whilst the Dutchman would be an exciting incoming if it were to happen, as well potentially looking into one of his Turf Moor team-mates, he has a clear preference in terms of which attacker he wants at the CBS Arena.

Deez told FLW: "It's an interesting question being posed of the possibility of signing one of three very good players. Obviously, my heart wants to say 'let's sign all three of them'.

"We've finally got the status, the ability, a bit more pulling power. We've got the money and the wage budget to be able to try and sign players like that, especially if one or more of them are on loan.

"I think Flemming would be a fantastic player. There's a couple of Burnley players that I'd be interested in. I think Jaidon Anthony is another one.

"Both of them have proved themselves at Premier League level. Obviously, proved themselves to a certain extent. They've not helped to keep Burnley up, so there's that little bit of concern. Would they help to keep us up?

"Openda would be a fantastic signing. He was incredible for Leipzig before he made his ill-fated move to Juventus, which hasn't really worked out.

"I think, more than anything, that's just a tactical and formation thing in Italy. They don't play progressive, beautiful, free-flowing, goalscoring football anymore, like they did many, many years ago.

"It's a bit of a boring league now, isn't it? It's just been too defensive for many years. I think Openda, a player like him, would thrive more in a Premier League environment, in a club like ours.

"A lot of that then comes down to does he want to go from the likes of Leipzig and Juventus, big teams, big names playing around him, to then coming to an almost guaranteed relegation battle?

"It would look good on his CV if he scored the goals that kept us up. But it's more of a personal thing, isn't it? And an egotistical thing as well. Do they want to be seen as playing for a struggling team?

"Troy Parrott, out of all the names I've mentioned, he's the one that I want to go for the most of all. I think he's a good, exciting player. He's still young.

"He's the kind of player Doug King's going to want to bring in because if we don't go down, there's still that resale value. We'd likely be having to pay £15 million-£20 million for somebody like him.

"It is a lot of money. It is a big gamble because he's gone and proven himself abroad, but every time he went out on loan in England, he didn't exactly set the place on fire.

"So he hasn't proven himself at the top yet, and it's a big gamble to be bringing in a player like that when you're in an almost guaranteed relegation battle.

"Either way, we definitely need to improve on what we've got. Haji Wright, I want him out the door as soon as possible, £20m would be lovely for him.

"Reinvest that money in one or two of the players that have been mentioned here. I absolutely adore Ephron Mason-Clark and (Tatsuhiro) Sakamoto, but we are going to need to beef up our ranks in terms of wingers.

"I think Mason-Clark is likely to be our starting left-winger. I don't think Sakamoto will be starting for us on the right. It's going to be a very, very interesting summer.

"It's very reassuring to see us linked with such good players. High-profile names from high-profile teams. I just really hope that Doug King isn't going to end up being stingy because it took a while to get the Frank Onyeka deal over the line.

"I just worry that other teams will leapfrog us because of him being not cheap, but a bit too tactical at times with his spending."

Coventry City face tough decisions in summer transfer market

Coventry are facing one of the most important summers in their modern history, having returned to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years.

The Sky Blues must sufficiently bolster their squad to give themselves a chance of remaining in the top flight following their Championship-winning campaign.

However, as Deez alluded to, deals for high-profile players like Openda, Parrott, and Flemming could prove costly, leaving Lampard and King with tough calls to make in the market.