Frank Lampard can hand Coventry City a potential Milan van Ewijk upgrade with Aston Villa agreement | OneFootball

Coventry’s move for Kaine Kesler-Hayden could make the expected departure of Milan van Ewijk feel like a distant memory.

Coventry City will be preparing for another Championship season after suffering heartbreak in the play-off semi-final to Sunderland.

With the Black Cats holding a 2-1 lead heading into the second leg at the Stadium of Light, the Sky Blues dragged the scores level after an evening of dominance on Wearside, as Ephron Mason-Clark netted on his return to action.

The Midlands outfit had further chances to take the lead on the night, with Haji Wright miscuing a header in the last kick of normal time.

A rollercoaster of emotions unfolded in the final act of extra-time, as Dan Ballard’s header from a corner sparked ecstasy for the Sunderland faithful, with all associated with Coventry crestfallen as their season came to such a cruel end.

It means a second successive campaign where Coventry have been beaten in the play-offs, but they will be hopeful that one of these seasons will be their year after making such positive strides in Frank Lampard’s opening term.

The Sky Blues will, of course, be fearful of some player exits given Premier League football won’t be returning to the CBS Arena, but to be fighting towards the top end of the Championship table on a regular basis is sure to put the club in as frontrunners for a few summer additions, including Aston Villa’s Kaine Kesler-Hayden.

With Milan van Ewijk potentially playing his final game in a Coventry shirt, it could be the ideal trade, particularly as Kesler-Hayden made such a strong impression in his first second tier season while on loan at Preston North End.

Coventry City in the driving seat for Kaine Kesler-Hayden’s signature

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Coventry City have set their sights on sealing a permanent transfer for Kaine Kesler-Hayden from Aston Villa, as the defender prepares to return to the Premier League outfit following his loan spell at Deepdale.

Villa are understood to be keen on selling the 22-year-old this summer as Unai Emery aims to cut down the squad following further success in the Premier League and a third straight season of European football.

This has seen Coventry emerge as front-runners to strike a deal with their Midlands rivals. The Sky Blues are reportedly willing to pay £5 million plus extras to secure the full-back's services, in what would be the first permanent move of his career.

Meanwhile, a Milan van Ewijk exit could be on the cards, with the Dutch defender reportedly interested in leaving the club after their failure to get back to the top-flight.

Football League World exclusively revealed that Premier League duo Fulham and Everton are interested in luring the Dutchman away from the CBS Arena, while Turkish giants Galatasaray held an interest in his services back in the winter transfer window.

Van Ewijk is clearly a Premier League player in waiting, and while it will be such a blow to see him depart, the potential signing of Kesler-Hayden could soften the setback, with the Aston Villa man a defender full of talent and potential after being exposed to the relentlessness of the Championship.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden would be the perfect replacement for Milan van Ewijk

Despite Preston’s struggles towards the back end of the season that saw them sucked into a relegation dog fight, Kaine Kesler-Hayden was a regular and impressive performer at full-back, playing 44 of their 46 Championship matches while contributing two goals and three assists.

At 22, Kesler-Hayden has proven the quality he possesses by winning both the supporters and players’ Player of the Season awards, becoming such a valued member of a Championship squad in his opening second tier season.

Kesler-Hayden has so much room to develop and get even better too, and Coventry could have one of the division’s best attacking full-backs on their hands if he continues to grow at such a quickfire rate.