Coventry City leading transfer chase for Crystal Palace starlet | OneFootball

The Sky Blues are fronting the queue for Crystal Palace's teenage defender Caleb Kporha.

Coventry City are leading the chase to sign teenage Crystal Palace defender Caleb Kporha.

That's according to a report from journalist Alan Nixon reporting via Patreon on Sunday.

18-year-old Kporha is a versatile defender, who has tended to operate as a right-back by trade, but is also comfortable being deployed as a left-back, or as right-winger.

Frank Lampard's Coventry side are in the midst of a play-off push with seven games to go this season, but evidently the club are keen to ensure they're also staying ahead of the game when it comes to their summer transfer business.

Coventry City fronting queue for Crystal Palace starlet Caleb Kporha

As revealed by Nixon, the Sky Blues are in pole position to sign the England youth international, with Palace fighting to keep hold of their talented young star.

The report states that Coventry want to offer Kporha a faster route to first-team football, with the youngster having made his first four senior appearances for the Eagles this season, with two of those coming in the Premier League.

Nixon goes on to report that Crystal Palace want him to stay at Selhurst Park, but are yet to agree terms on a new long-term contract, and that it would take "big terms" in order to get him to sign a new deal.

This update comes after BBC Sport revealed that Kporha and Palace were close to agreeing a new four-year contract on Thursday, and as such, this could be a last-ditch attempt by Coventry to turn his head before committing his future to the Premier League club.

Coventry could be in need of full-back help in the near future

Coventry City have been conducting some very shrewd transfer business in recent times, and eyeing up a potential swoop for a highly-rated Premier League defender could be another smart move by the club.

They may well find themselves needing to strengthen in their full-back department in the near future too, as star right-back Milan van Ewijk was reported to have been attracting top flight interest from the likes of Fulham during the winter transfer window.

On the opposite side, Jake Bidwell is now 32, and whilst still providing a solid enough option for Lampard, his age and potential Premier League promotion may require his successor to be found soon.

Therefore, this has all the makings of being the kind of deal Coventry should be looking to complete. It now simply appears to be a case of can they sell him on the CBS Arena project over a Selhurst Park stay?