How much Coventry City will have to pay Brighton to sign Carl Rushworth revealed | OneFootball

Brighton and Hove Albion's asking price involving a permanent sale of Carl Rushworth to Coventry City has been revealed

Coventry City have one eye on the Premier League as they bid to clinch the 2025/26 Championship title under Frank Lampard in what has been a stunning campaign at the CBS Arena.

The Sky Blues have bounced back from last season's agonising, last-grasp play-off semi-final defeat to Sunderland to occupy top spot for much of what has been Lampard's first full term in charge of the club, having succeeded long-serving ex-boss Mark Robins in November 2024.

Coventry's title bid has not been without the occasional hiccup, of course, but Lampard's side have rediscovered form in the latter stages of the season and had mounted a six-match winning streak after a Haji Wright-inspired 3-1 victory over second-placed Middlesbrough last month before Saturday afternoon's defeat at Southampton.

However, with a seven-point advantage over Kim Hellberg's side with just eight games now to spare, Coventry are poised to end their 25-year top-flight absence as champions and owner Doug King will already be scheming behind the scenes about what life in the promised land may look like.

There's been constant talk over a permanent deal for Carl Rushworth, who has enjoyed an inspired campaign between the sticks since arriving on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, and as Coventry edge ever closer to returning to the Premier League, the terms of what would be required to bring the impressive shot-stopper back to this corner of the West Midlands have been revealed.

How much Coventry City would have to pay to re-sign Brighton's Carl Rushworth

A recent report from CoventryLive has revealed exactly how much Coventry are going to have to expect to shell out in order to stand a chance of making Rushworth's stint with the Sky Blues a permanent one, with the goalkeeper's long-term future at Brighton remaining in the balance at this moment in time.

As per that update, Rushworth is understood to be valued in the region of £15-20 million, which would smash Coventry's existing transfer record if a deal can be struck this coming summer.

Brighton's fresh valuation represents a significant increase on what Brighton were holding out for last summer when Coventry initially looked to explore the terms of a permanent deal before setting on a loan capture instead.

At that stage, it's said the Sky Blues saw a £5-6 million bid rejected as Brighton wanted up to £12 million for the services of the ex-Lincoln and Swansea City man, who has since gone on to establish himself as the second-tier's finest pair of hands.

Right now, whether King would be willing to part with such a sizeable sum for just one player along with Brighton's own stance both remain unclear.

The Seagulls are expected to lose sought-after first-choice 'keeper Bart Verbruggen this summer amid interest from some of Europe's elite and could well turn internally to Rushworth as a replacement, and though the 24-year-old has explained that he would relish the opportunity to represent City in the Premier League, there are still plenty of moving parts and it remains to be seen whether a deal can be struck.

Coventry City must push for permanent Carl Rushworth transfer deal

Although Brighton's asking price marks a huge figure in the context of the fees in which Coventry have shelled out as a competitive Championship club, the Premier League is a different kettle of the fish and the financial rewards will enable King to reach much deeper into his pockets, should he see fit.

Considering that Lampard has predicted Rushworth to become an "elite" Premier League goalkeeper with future senior honours for England, that's the sort of sum which could represent chump change in the years to come.

His performances in the Championship as a shot-stopper with his best years still firmly ahead have warranted a significant shell-out for his signature and you would have little doubts over Rushworth's ability to adapt to the increased demands of Premier League football.

Coventry are looking at alternatives, of course, with Sunderland's Anthony Patterson representing a reported option as per Alan Nixon amid his loan stint with Championship rivals Millwall, but Rushworth has to be a sure-fire priority right at the top of City's summer shopping list if Lampard can get this side over the line and into the top-flight.