Coventry City told '£10-12m' could trigger Leeds United, Ao Tanaka transfer rethink | OneFootball

Coventry City have been hit with a frustrating transfer update in their reported summer pursuit of Leeds midfielder, Ao Tanaka.

Coventry City are likely to be busy during the summer transfer window, as they plan for life in the Premier League.

It's been a season to remember for the Sky Blues, and Frank Lampard will be eager to take them to the next level in the top-flight.

It'll be interesting to see whether Lampard's side can hold their nerve in the battle to avoid relegation back into the Championship, especially when the likes of Sunderland and Leeds United have shown that promoted teams can compete at the highest level.

Their Premier League status could depend on whether they can add further strength in depth to their squad, in what could be a season-defining transfer window coming up.

Frustrating Ao Tanaka update emerges

It was previously reported by Football Insider that Coventry City were keen on a deal to sign Leeds United midfielder, Ao Tanaka, who has found regular game time hard to come by for the Yorkshire-based giants this season in the Premier League, and is reportedly eyeing a move away from Elland Road due to a lack of minutes.

However, Tanaka has reportedly made a good impression in his recent appearances, with Anton Stach being ruled out of action, which has changed Tanaka's stance with Leeds.

Football League World's Coventry City fan pundit, Chris Deez reacted to the update on Tanaka's future, and highlighted what the move for the Leeds midfielder would have meant for the likes of Matt Grimes.

"That would be a real shame about Tanaka. I spoke about him quite recently, and I think he would have been a fantastic addition to the squad. I think he would have gone straight into the starting line-up. I absolutely adore Onyeka and Grimes, but they're either going to need cover, or one of them is going to have to drop back a bit, and play a little bit less frequently.

"Grimes has probably been our joint player of the season, alongside Rushworth. He's been the engine that has kept us going, the heartbeat of the team, and as soon as Onyeka came in, it freed Grimes up, and he got back to his best after going through a bit of a blip, just like the entire club did."

Deez went on to state his reasons as to why someone like Grimes could benefit from having a player such as Tanaka involved with the Sky Blues.

"I think unfortunately, at his age, at 31, obviously not old by any means, I think he's going to need a bit of a rest more often in the Premier League. He's played basically every minute for us this season, and he's not looked as like he needs a rest. He's not looked out of place, and he's not looked like he's flagging, but the Premier League is an entirely different game.

'Hopefully we can go back in' for Tanaka

The Coventry City fan pundit admitted that he was surprised to see Leeds' stance on Tanaka's future change, whilst also mentioning that the midfielder would have been the 'ideal man' for the Sky Blues.

"I'd have really liked to have brought in Tanaka. I think he would have been the ideal man to go in there, slide into that position, and then Grimes could be the very capable backup. The move is now looking harder for him, and I'm surprised at that, because he's barely featured for Leeds, so maybe they're holding out for more money," he continued.

It remains to be seen as to whether Coventry will reignite their interest in Tanaka after this recent update, but Deez is certainly keen to see his side submit a bid for him, although the potential of Leeds being one of Coventry's relegation rivals could be a potential problem for any transfer agreement: "Hopefully we can go back in, I think he's probably worth anywhere in between around £10m-£12m. I don't see why we can't get him for anywhere in that ballpark, and maybe they (Leeds) just don't want to sell to a team that they might be in a relegation battle with next season."

Tanaka has started Leeds' last three games in all competitions. Scoring in the FA Cup quarter-final win over West Ham, and then featuring in the club's first back-to-back Premier League wins of the season against Man United and Wolves. Whilst he has come into the side after Anton Stach's injury, he's actually keeping Ilia Gruev out of the starting line-up, with Daniel Farke seemingly taking a u-turn on his use of the Japan international after these transfer reports.