Football League World
·11 August 2025
Southampton are unlikely to get anywhere with ambitious Coventry City transfer move

In partnership with
Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·11 August 2025
Southampton saw a bid for Coventry City midfielder Jack Rudoni swiftly rejected amidst Tyler Dibling exit rumours
Coventry swiftly rejected Southampton's bid for Jack Rudoni, and it remains to be seen whether the Saints will make another offer for the Englishman amid talk of Tyler Dibling's exit
According to The Sun, Southampton's bid for Rudoni was rejected by the Sky Blues, with the Saints' offer falling well short of their value of the midfielder.
Rudoni, who joined Coventry last summer from freshly-relegated Huddersfield Town, still has three years remaining on his contract, so the club hold a strong stance when it comes to the valuation of their player.
The Saints grabbed a late winner against Wrexham courtesy of Jack Stephens on their return to the Championship, though Dibling did not play a role in the victory as rumours of a potential move to Everton swirl.
Star attacker Dibling did not make the matchday squad for Southampton's opening-day victory against Wrexham, with the 19-year-old having been withdrawn from training in the week leading up to the game.
Rudoni, on the other hand, played the full ninety minutes in Coventry's opening goalless draw at home to Hull City, as it looks increasingly likely that the 24-year-old's immediate future lies at the CBS Arena.
With Coventry having rejected Southampton's opening bid for Rudoni, which fell well short of the Sky Blues' valuation for him, it remains unclear whether Will Still's side will be going back in for the ex-Huddersfield star.
The Sky Blues climbed up the table following Mark Robins's sacking last season after the appointment of Frank Lampard, finishing fifth in the league with Rudoni's goals and assists instrumental in that achievement.
Although Coventry ultimately lost out in the playoffs to Sunderland, who themselves were promoted, Rudoni scored the equaliser in the opening leg at the CBS Arena, as the Sky Blues would eventually be defeated 2-1.
Coventry will be hoping to take the strong momentum they finished last season with into this one and be well within the playoff picture once again, and keeping Rudoni would be a real statement of intent for those ambitions.
It's unclear just how much Southampton's bid for Rudoni was, but if Coventry were to part ways with the midfielder, it would likely take a club-record sale from the Sky Blues to even consider letting Rudoni leave.
It would also be difficult for Coventry to sell Rudoni to a potential direct promotion rival this term, a move which would undermine their own ambitions of going up to the Premier League following last season's play-off heartache.
With Southampton having just been relegated from the Premier League, Still's side will no doubt have set their ambitions towards an immediate return to the top flight.
The Belgian manager's side dominated the game in terms of possession and shots against Wrexham, though they left it until virtually the final kick of the game as captain Stephens poked home Manning's low cross at the back post after going down to a Josh Windass penalty during the first-half.
Both Coventry and Southampton will have hopes of a strong campaign, though, with Rudoni already settled at CBS Arena and with promotion a real possibility for Coventry this season, the 24-year-old may see no reason to move to the Saints, in what could be viewed as a sideways move.
What happens with Dibling on the South Coast likely affects what happens with Rudoni at Coventry, as Southampton may be biding their time and waiting for the huge windfall they would receive from Dibling's sale to go back in with an improved offer for Rudoni.
Though, as things stand, Rudoni will remain a Coventry player for this upcoming season unless Southampton significantly improve their initial offer for the midfielder.