A new update has emerged in Coventry City’s pursuit of a deal with Premier League club Brentford for strong midfielder Frank Onyeka.

Frank Lampard now has only a few days to complete any late transfer deals that he believes will offer the West Midlands club the best possible opportunity of returning to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years at the conclusion of the Championship season.

City are still leading the second tier at the moment, but their previously healthy lead in the promotion race has dwindled to just three points after a 2-1 defeat against a resurgent Norwich City side at Carrow Road on Monday night, as they now look to return to winning ways against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road in the final game of January.

Lampard has only made a handful of signings in CV6 since his appointment in November 2024 in place of Mark Robins, with the former Chelsea and England midfield icon adopting a defensive-based transfer strategy in the summer, before adding to his creative department so far in the current window with the loan signing of Romain Esse, who has already scored twice for the club, from Crystal Palace, before completing a permanent four-year switch from FC Zurich for 23-year-old

Even before the second of those signings, the Sky Blues had been linked with a permanent or loan move for Onyeka from the Gtech Community Stadium, with the midfielder recently returning to duty for the Bees following a largely successful African Cup of Nations campaign with Nigeria.

And, while City remain the current favourites to sign him, they must overcome the present halt in negotiations before the transfer deadline of 7 p.m. on Monday.

A new update on Coventry City’s transfer pursuit of Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka

Onyeka is presently in his fifth year with Brentford, having joined the West London club following their historic promotion to the Premier League in the summer of 2021 under previous manager Thomas Frank.

It also appears to be his final year at Gtech, as he enters the latter months of his five-year deal, which was agreed with when he transferred from Danish Superliga club FC Midtjylland.

After beginning as a staple in Frank’s midfield, the 41-time Super Eagles international has seen his playing time with the Premier League club drastically decrease.

Indeed, he did not play in the Dane’s final season with the club before joining Tottenham Hotspur, having spent the previous season on loan with Bundesliga team FC Augsburg.

After only nine Premier League and EFL Cup appearances this season, Onyeka has sparked interest from Coventry, the Blades, and Birmingham City this window, with Valencia CF also said to have made an attempt for his services.

It has since been confirmed that the 28-year-old is free to leave Keith Andrews’ squad this window, with the Sky Blues still in pole position to complete a deal.

However, the Standard reports that, while this remains the case, conversations have halted. However, the publication claims that Valencia and Sheffield United have cooled their interest in recent days, which will still be good news for fans in this section of the Midlands.

It is also fair to suggest that Coventry may have to offer Onyeka a sizable salary, as according to ESTIMATED data from Capology, the Nigerian earns £40,000 per week at Brentford.

Frank Onyeka would make an excellent addition to Frank Lampard’s midfield.

Coventry will remain confident of success in this pursuit, as Onkeya would be a valuable addition to Lampard’s midfield.

While City’s midfield is already stocked with technical talent and experience, the Bees midfielder would add a new dimension due to his physicality and ability to break up play.

Furthermore, Onyeka will be considered as a ready-made Premier League option for Lampard if the Sky Blues manage to gain promotion before May.