Coventry City have submitted a club-record £20million bid for Carl Rushworth, talkSPORT understands.
Brighton and Hove Albion are currently weighing up the offer from the newly-promoted side.
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The 24-year-old spent the season on loan with the Sky Blues as they stormed to the Championship title.
Rushworth played every league game for Frank Lampard’s side, conceding just 45 goals and keeping 17 clean sheets.
Now that his loan is over, he has returned to Brighton, but Coventry have made their first move.
Should it be accepted, it would blow their current transfer record out of the water.
It would also represent a coup with other Premier League sides monitoring Rushworth.
The goalkeeper only has one year left on his deal, and he has been watched by England on multiple occasions.
Lampard has already signed Frank Onyeka ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign, and he wants to add another promotion hero.
The goalkeeper was nominated for Player of the Season, and the Sky Blues clearly believe he is ready for the Premier League.
Huge fan
After playing every minute in the Championship, Lampard made it clear that he is a huge Rushworth fan.
Speaking about the goalkeeper earlier in the season, he said that England caps were waiting for him.
Coventry record signings
- Haji Wright (Antalyaspor) – £7.7m
- Craig Bellamy (Norwich) – £6.5m
- Robbie Keane (Wolves) – £6m
- Lee Hughes (West Brom) – £5m
- Jack Rudoni (Huddersfield) – £5m
He said: “Yes, for sure. I mean, without telling any England manager what to do…
“I know Jordan Pickford who I worked with (at Everton), and is an incredible goalkeeper, and the goalkeepers are around him.
“But Rushy, just to isolate him, he’s got absolutely the talent to be able to play for his country, in my opinion.
“He just needs to keep working, but the levels he’s playing at are really, really good, and he’s been a big signing for us.”
Coventry’s transfer plans
talkSPORT understands that Coventry are weighing up a move for Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
The Southampton captain missed out on the chance at promotion to the top-flight due to the Saints sending an intern to spy on Middlesbrough ahead of the play-off semi-final first leg.
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The club also admitted to spying two other times and were kicked out of the play-offs.
Harwood-Bellis also found himself at the centre of it in the second leg when celebrating a late goal by pretending to have binoculars.
The 24-year-old was also involved in a bit of a post-match scuffle when Coventry met Southampton, with Lampard accusing the defender of not showing him respect.
And speaking on The Sports Bar with Jason Cundy and Jamie O’Hara after winning promotion, Lampard admitted there was lots to do.
He said: “We’ve got a lot of work to do.
“We’ll do it quickly, and I think I feel like we have to do it quickly.
“It’s the owner’s choice, a lot of these things, because he’s the boss man in the football club. But the conversations obviously have to happen quickly, but also enjoy this little moment.”
