Stoke City join Coventry City in £3.6m transfer battle for African forward | OneFootball

Stoke City are rumoured to be competing with Coventry City for the 21-year-old's signature

Coventry City are facing fresh competition from Championship promotion rivals Stoke City to sign Mjällby AIF forward Abdoulie Manneh.

Frank Lampard and Mark Robins’ sides have arguably been the Championship’s two standout packages this season, occupying first and second place respectively after 14 matches.

Heading into the 2025/26 campaign, few would’ve predicted either club to enjoy such strong opening gambits, especially not for the Potters, which highlights just how well both managers have been doing.

This weekend, they are set to do battle at the Bet365 Stadium, with the outcome of that match holding massive repercussions for the early title race.

Stoke could close the gap down to the league leaders to just a single point, whereas Coventry have the opportunity to extend their gap at the top to a potential seven points.

Alongside battling hard on the pitch, Stoke and Coventry are set for a showdown on the transfer scene too.

Stoke City join Coventry City in the race for Abdoulie Manneh

Recently, Coventry City were linked with a move for Mjällby AIF’s Abdoulie Manneh, as per Expressen.

That report stated that Lampard’s side were in negotiations with the Swedish side for his services and were hoping to close the deal in the coming weeks.

Following that, Fotboll Direkt claimed that Mjällby AIF had paused negotiations to allow other parties to come forward, subsequently allowing Stoke City into the race.

Fotboll Direkt now states that the Potters will soon make contact with MAIF, in an attempt to get a deal done for the forward.

The Swedish outfit are reportedly looking for £3.6m to commission a move, and it is still unclear whether Coventry or Stoke are willing to pay that much for Manneh.

Since moving to Mjällby AIF in 2024, the 21-year-old has scored 12 goals and provided four assists in 58 appearances.

Manneh has also impressed on the international stage, scoring three goals and contributing two assists on his Gambia debut in a 7-0 hammering of Seychelles.

Both Stoke City and Coventry City will be keen to win Abdoulie Manneh race

Given how gruelling a 46-game Championship campaign can be, injecting some fresh life into the squad in the form of a new attacker in January sometimes pays dividends in May.

Intensity to strengthen in the winter window will only increase if Coventry and Stoke are still battling towards the top of the division, which only fuels each side even further to get a deal for Manneh done.

If the Gambian forward arrives in the Championship and proves to be a success, it could have major implications for the title race, leaving the team that didn’t secure his services with a major egg on their faces.

Lampard and Robins won’t want to risk that and will be doing everything within their power to make sure they aren’t the manager who misses out on Manneh.