Brighton & Hove Albion have rejected an offer from Coventry City for goalkeeper Carl Rushworth.The bid from the club that Rushworth helped to win the Championship on a season-long loan does not meet Brighton’s valuation of the 24-year-old.Coventry are keen to re-sign Rushworth on a permanent basis after an impressive 2025-26 campaign for Frank Lampard’s side. He played in all 46 of the club’s second tier fixtures, keeping 17 clean sheets and conceding 45 goals, as Coventry finished 11 points clear at the top of the table to clinch a place in the Premier League next season.Brighton have developed Rushworth via a succession of loans to Walsall in League Two (2021-22), Lincoln City in League One (2022-23), then in the Championship at Swansea City (2023-24), Hull City (2024-25) and most recently Coventry.The goalkeeper has a year left on his contract, with Brighton holding an option for a further year. But he has made it clear he will sign another deal and will only stay if the current status quo with Bart Verbruggen as No 1 and Jason Steele as No 2 changes.
Verbruggen, 23, is at the World Cup as established first choice for the Netherlands, while 35-year-old Steele is also at the tournament as England’s training goalkeeper.Dutch manager Ronald Koeman is hopeful that Verbruggen will recover from a bruised hip to play in their opening group game against Japan on Sunday (9pm UK time). Verbruggen sustained the injury colliding with Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov as he caught a cross during the second half of Monday’s 2-1 win for Koeman’s side against Uzbekistan in a final warm-up friendly behind closed doors in New York.“We think (Verbruggen) can reach the match on Sunday, but day-by-day we have to wait for that,” Koeman told reporters, in quotes carried by the Associated Press, after a training session on Wednesday without the Brighton goalkeeper.What does this mean for Brighton?Something will give with Brighton’s strong goalkeeper options this summer, with either Rushworth or Verbruggen set for a move.Rushworth has made his position clear. He wants to play in the Premier League. Coventry can provide him with that opportunity.As things stand, Verbruggen is firmly established as first pick under head coach Fabian Hurzeler, with Steele providing competition and cover.Verbruggen has kept 17 clean sheets across 74 Premier League games in a row over the past two seasons under Hurzeler, playing a significant role in successive eighth-placed finishes. At 23 years of age he is regarded as one of the most promising goalkeepers in the world.Former head coach Roberto De Zerbi alternated between Verbruggen and Steele when Brighton reached the last 16 of the Europa League in 2023-24. Hurzeler will face a similar dilemma next season to cope with extra fixtures in the Europa Conference League.Jun 12, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
