Coventry City are poised to beat Newcastle United in the race to sign goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, with the Premier League new boys expected to table a bid to secure his services permanently.
Rushworth has been on loan at the Coventry Building Society Arena and played a crucial role in their promotion campaign. Frank Lampard's side have now secured the Championship title, and attention has quickly turned to next season and securing their goalkeeper on a permanent basis.
Newcastle have been among those monitoring Rushworth and sent scouts to watch him ahead of a potential summer move. However, that pursuit appears to have been thwarted, with the Evening Standard reporting that Coventry lead the chase and the goalkeeper himself is keen to extend his stay at the club.
A deal would need to be struck with his parent club Brighton, but Frank Lampard has been instrumental in Rushworth's development, and the Englishman is reportedly eager to continue working with the Chelsea legend.
A permanent deal for Rushworth is expected to be the first of an aggressive summer transfer window for Coventry, who are aiming to consolidate their top-flight status after 25 years away.
Rushworth's rise
Rushworth's stock is high, and he turned down approaches from Arsenal and Manchester United to sign for Brighton from Halifax Town back in 2019. He was close to receiving a call-up to Thomas Tuchel's England squad in March and is likely to remain in contention if he continues to impress.
Earlier this season, Rushworth etched his name into the Coventry record books. He broke the club's longest spell without conceding a goal, surpassing Horace Pearson's mark of 608 minutes set in 1934.
Newcastle's goalkeeping situation
Newcastle are looking to revamp their goalkeeping department ahead of a summer that could see wholesale changes. They missed out on their top target, James Trafford, last summer when he returned to Manchester City from Burnley.
They later brought in Aaron Ramsdale on loan from Southampton, who has played 11 times in the Premier League. Nick Pope, who has been their first-choice goalkeeper for much of the Eddie Howe era, has made 22 appearances and remains the number one. Newcastle endured a difficult summer last year, with several targets heading elsewhere, which has hampered their efforts this season.
