A look at transfer business of Coventry City's rivals Ipswich and Hull so far

Coventry City fans can rest assured that the club’s recruitment team are working hard behind the scenes to get deals done to ensure Frank Lampard has a Premier League ready squad next season.

The Sky Blues’ summer business has been slow going so far with just two new recruits in winger Loum Tchaouna and central defender Aurele Amenda following on from the upgrading of midfielder Frank Onyeka’s loan to a permanent contract.

City have been linked with numerous players from home and abroad, and frustrations are growing among some sections of the fanbase that more players haven’t come through the door with just four weeks to go until the season kicks off at Arsenal.

There are just over five weeks to go before the summer transfer window closes at 11pm on September 1.

However, with plenty of irons in the fire, the important thing is not how many players they have in the building now, but ensuring that they get the right ones to make a difference and ensure the team are competitive on their return to top flight football.

City’s fellow promoted sides, meanwhile, and the club’s main survival rivals Ipswich Town and Hull City have been fairly proactive in the market so far. Here’s a quick look at what the two clubs have done so far.

Versatile forward Daizen Maeda will undergo his medical today as Ipswich Town close in on their fifth new signing of the summer, reports the East Anglian Daily Times.

The Blues have agreed a deal worth £8m plus £2m in add-ons to sign the 30-cap Japan international from Celtic following his return from the 2026 World Cup.

He was due to arrive in Suffolk today and will join up with his new team-mates next week, should the transfer be completed for the player who predominantly plays off the left but can feature in any position in the forward line.

The 28-year-old has won five Scottish Premiership titles, three Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups in the last four years.

He is set to follow Emersonn (Toulouse, £26m), Kayne van Oevelen (FC Volendam, £3.4m), Abdul Fatawu (Leicester, £20m) and Issa Diop (Fulham, £8.5m) in signing for Town this summer.

The East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star understand that Town are also progressing in talks to sign Union SG’s Dutch goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen.

Goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis – who had been claimed to be a potential alternative target for the Sky Blues should they be unable to agree a deal for Carl Rushworth – is expected to undergo a medical in Athens today (Saturday, July 25) before flying out to join the Tigers’ pre-season training camp in Slovenia.

Olympiacos stopper Tzolakis had been with the Greek giants in the Netherlands, but was given permission to leave their pre-season training camp and return to Athens on Friday.

Our sister title HullLive reports that assuming there are no issues with the medical, it’s expected that Tzolakis will arrive in Maribor over the weekend and will sign a four-year deal with a 12-month option at the MKM Stadium.

The Tigers also continue to make progress on a deal to sign Florentino Luis, with it understood that the deal is edging closer to completion, which would see the 26-year-old arrive on an initial loan deal from Burnley. Leon Bailey also remains a firm target, and a deal with Aston Villa could yet be struck in the coming days.

Elsewhere, after a slight delay in trying to get a deal over the line, it’s also understood Elliot Stroud’s move from Mjällby is also on the verge of being completed.

New signings Jack Butland and Oscar Zambrano are expected to feature in the Tigers’ first friendly of the summer on Saturday (July 25), when they face Super Lig side Konyaspor in Slovenia. It’s unlikely that fellow summer recruit Matt Targett will play with the left-back still working his way into pre-season training, while Japanese free-agent midfielder Hidemasa Morita won’t be involved owing to a slight calf issue.

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