Behind Coventry City’s transfer bid for supermodel’s nephew and prospects of January revisit
Coventry City transfer news from CoventryLive as we speak to a Danish football writer about the Sky Blues’ rejected summer bid and the prospects of it being reignited in January
Coventry City were strongly linked with a late transfer window bid for Danish defender Oliver Sonne, with reports from Denmark claiming his club, Silkeborg, had rejected bids from the Sky Blues, along with Championship rivals Burnley.
Although City haven’t confirmed their interest in the 23-year-old Peruvian international, manager Mark Robins has been in the market for a new right-back to provide competition and back-up for Milan van Ewijk – the one position where there is currently no other specialised full-back.
The City boss revealed after deadline day: “We were looking at something but it didn’t materialise, so it wasn’t for the want of trying,” although it is not clear whether he was talking directly about the intense speculation linking the club with Sonne or another target.
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Here we speak to Danish football journalist Mathias Hove, who works for Midtjyllands Avis, a local newspaper based in Silkeborg, Denmark, about the details of the proposed deal for the nephew of supermodel Helena Christensen, and the likelihood of it being revisited in January when the transfer window opens again.
How strong was the interest from Coventry and how close do you think a deal was for Sonne to move?
The first sources mentioned a total bid of 2.4 million euros (£2m) including various bonuses, which indicated that Silkeborg would receive a lower amount up front. Financially, the club is doing great, and they just sold striker Alexander Lind in a record deal to Pisa for 3.6 million euros, so it seems unlikely that they would even consider selling a key player like Sonne – who still has two years left of his contract – for less than 3 million euros (£2.5m).
Sonne has been very outspoken about his desire to leave Silkeborg. He scored the match-winning goal in the Danish Cup final in May and lead Silkeborg to the first trophy since 2001. “I’ve done my duty,” he told the local newspaper Midtjyllands Avis in July. Furthermore, he stated that in his opinion there was an oral agreement with Silkeborg, that he should be sold this summer.
Silkeborg has stated that they are/were ready to sell Sonne, if the right bid comes along. But they didn’t receive a bid that matched the expectations.
Do you think it will be something that will be revisited again in the January transfer window?
I’m sure that there will also be interest for Oliver Sonne in January. But nothing indicates that Silkeborg will accept bids below 3 million euros (£2.5m). In July they sold 25-year-old Icelandic international Stefán Teitur Thórdarson, who only has six months left of his contract, to Preston North End for an estimated 900.000 euros (£759,000), and a few days ago 26-year-old midfielder Mark Brink, who has less than a year left on his deal. He was sold to FC Nordsjælland for an estimated 1.4 million euros (£1.1m). So a 23-year-old Peruvian international like Sonne with 1.5 years left in January won’t come cheap.
