Coventry City in talks over another player exit - Frank Lampard thinks he has "work to do" | OneFootball

Coventry City striker Norman Bassette is reportedly attracting interest from Dutch side Utrecht.

Dutch side Utrecht are reportedly in talks to sign Coventry City striker Norman Bassette on loan.

That's according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, who claims that Coventry are holding discussions with Utrecht about a possible loan deal for Bassette that could include an option to buy, although the Midlands outfit are yet to confirm the exact conditions they would agree to.

Bassette joined the Sky Blues from French side Caen last summer for a fee of between £2.1 million and £2.98 million, and while he showed glimpses of his ability at times, it proved to be a frustrating debut season for the 20-year-old at the CBS Arena as he struggled to nail down a regular place in the starting line-up.

Speculation about Bassette's future has been gathering pace over the course of the summer, and after he was linked with Belgian side Anderlecht last month, it appears he could now be set to make a move to the Netherlands.

Coventry have already sanctioned the departure of one first-team player this week, with defender Luis Binks joining Danish outfit Brondby on a permanent basis, and Bassette could be the next to head out of the exit door as Utrecht, who finished fourth in the Eredivisie last season, open talks about a potential loan deal for the striker.

Utrecht in talks to sign Coventry City striker Norman Bassette

Bassette made a slow start to life at Coventry as he was eased into Championship action by former manager Mark Robins at the start of last season, but he was handed a chance in the team over the winter period after Haji Wright's injury, and he put in some impressive performances, scoring twice against Sheffield United and Portsmouth.

However, despite starting seven of his first nine games in charge, Bassette soon fell out of favour under Frank Lampard, and his last start for the Sky Blues came all the way back in early January, while he did not even feature in the matchday squad for either of the play-off semi-final legs against Sunderland.

Lampard opened up on Bassette's situation at the CBS Arena back in April, and while he insisted that he believes the Belgium international is a talented player, he admitted that he has a long way to go before he becomes a regular starter for the club.

"As a young lad there is work to be done and Norman has a lot of work to do," Lampard told Coventry Live.

"He’s got talent and attributes and I think he got into the team in my early days here and gave it some really positive things. But for his game, he needs a lot of work and also to understand the demands of being a player. And when you’re not playing, how you train and keep improving.

"As a young player that’s absolutely of huge importance and I’ve got a very good understanding of that. So for Norman, he needs to keep working and he has to understand he’s got good competition in the area of the team that he’s in. And in this level it’s quite ruthless."

With Wright, Ellis Simms and Brandon Thomas-Asante all currently ahead of him in the pecking order, it seems Lampard is set to give the green light for Bassette to depart temporarily as Coventry begin talks with Utrecht, but the Dutch side face competition for his signature from Standard Liege.

Coventry City should only sanction Norman Bassette exit on one condition

Given Bassette's lack of game time under Lampard in the second half of last season, it is little surprise to see him being linked with a move away from Coventry this summer.

Bassette needs to be playing regular football at this stage of his career, and with such strong competition for places in the forward areas, he is unlikely to be able to do that at the CBS Arena next season, so a loan move to the Dutch top flight could be hugely beneficial for his development.

However, Bassette showed enough potential in his first year with the Sky Blues to suggest that he could become a big player for the club in the future, so if Utrecht are keen to sign the striker on loan, owner Doug King should not agree to include a buy option in the deal.