Coventry City transfer notebook as Chelsea's Marc Guiu pops onto radar

Coventry City continue to be linked with potential summer transfers as the weeks rumble on towards the start of the new Premier League season.

Sky Blues fans are getting increasingly anxious that there has only been two new faces through the door so far with just a month to go before the big kick-off against Arsenal.

Here we take a look at the latest names linked with interest from the club and one who appears to have fallen by the wayside following weeks of speculation claiming City’s interest.

Coventry City’s reported interest in Juventus striker Lois Openda appears to have fallen flat amid claims that the Belgian international favours a return to his former club Lyon on loan, despite Juve preferring to sell the player to an English Premier League side.

French journalist Sébastien Vidal, who has over 25k followers on X, writes: “Regarding the Openda file. Juve prefers a move to the PL as Fulham or Everton could take on his salary and free up finances for the Italian club. The player prioritizes Lyon. The #OL (Olympique Lyonnais) board is pushing to wrap up the deal quickly. Discussions continue between Lyon and Juventus.”

Vidal had earlier posted: “Openda responds favourably to Lyon’s interest. The Juventus player and the Rhône club are on the same wavelength. Lyon would like a loan with a purchase option, counting on Champions League money to finance the deal. Contract of 3+1 if the player stays after a successful loan.”

Verdict: Time to move on. Any supposed interest appears dead in the water with the player determined to move back to France.

As ‘interest’ in one striker fades, so another appears on the radar.

And according to Ekrem Konur, who describes himself as global transfer news expert with over 245k followers on X, Chelsea are ready to ‘offload’ the Spanish prodigy amid interest from several clubs, including Coventry.

“The Blues have given the green light for the striker’s departure this summer! Coventry, Ipswich, Sevilla, and Sociedad are leading the race for a loan or permanent deal!” he claims.

The Chelsea Chronicle believe Guiu is likely to fall down the pecking order next season following the return of Nicolas Jackson and the addition of Emmanuel Emegha. Joao Pedro is currently the Blues’ first-choice striker, while Liam Delap was his deputy last term.

It is claimed that Frank Lampard’s former club are demanding £25m for Guiu despite the Spaniard being a 20-year-old who barely kicked a ball during the 2025/26 campaign.

Speaking to the publication, Ekrem Konur said: “Chelsea have placed a potential departure for 20-year-old Spanish striker Marc Guiu on the table this summer due to high competition and squad depth in their attacking unit. The London club have given a green light in principle to both loan and permanent offers as interest in the young forward continues to grow across England and Spain.”

He went on to state that Ipswich Town are “emerging as one of the most eager English clubs, aiming to secure Guiu on loan to reinforce their attack while giving him regular starting minutes to boost his development,” while Coventry City are “closely tracking Guiu’s situation and ready to step in should a suitable loan opportunity materialise.”

He also names Sunderland and several Spanish clubs, including Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Valencia CF as maintaining “strong interest” in the player who is viewed as a sensible investment.

He adds: “From a financial perspective, Chelsea management has set an opening asking price of £25 million for a permanent transfer. For potential loan deals, the club are willing to remain flexible regarding wage distribution and future buy-option clauses.”

Verdict: Frank Lampard’s Chelsea connection will always help with potential deals from Stamford Bridge. The player is still young and unproven at the highest level where he lacks experience. However, he was deemed good enough to go on a season-long loan to Sunderland last summer – a move the was cut short when he was recalled by the Blues following injury to Liam Delap. City do need goal power and the powerful number nine might well be of interest, albeit a bit of a gamble given his age and lack of game time.

The Sky Blues are said to be “monitoring” young Partizan Belgrade defender Nikola Simić, who is also said to be on Sunderland’s radar.

That’s according to ontheminute.com who say that the 19-year-old Serbian centre-back is also of interest to Brighton.

“No formal move has been made at this stage, but Simić is emerging as a name to watch as clubs search for young defenders with long-term potential,” says the report.

The article concludes that Simić’s “strength, height and calmness in possession make him an appealing profile for clubs looking beyond short-term fixes.”

Verdict: First and foremost, Coventry are not looking beyond short-term fixes. While they will always have half an eye on future potential, the club’s priority this summer is to recruit Premier League ready players to keep them in the top flight, not expensive development players who may come good in time.

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