Taiwo Awoniyi transfer: Where he ranks among Coventry City’s most expensive signings

Taiwo Awoniyi is set to join Coventry City from Nottingham Forest in a deal worth about £17m, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Nigeria striker has agreed personal terms and is undergoing his medical before the move can be completed, as per TalkSport. If the transfer goes through, Awoniyi will become one of the most expensive players in Coventry’s history. But he will not take the club’s transfer record.

The move comes during a remarkable summer for Coventry, who have a rich Nigerian history. The Sky Blues are preparing for their first Premier League season in 25 years after winning the 2025-26 Championship title. Manager Frank Lampard has responded with major spending to build a squad for the top flight.

Awoniyi is set to enter Coventry’s top five

Transfermarkt’s Coventry City transfer records place the club’s recent major deals at the centre of a huge rise in spending. Awoniyi’s reported £17m fee would put him joint-fourth among Coventry’s most expensive signings if the final fee is recorded at that figure.

The players above him are:

Caleb Yirenkyi, about £23m
Carl Rushworth, about £22.5m
Loum Tchaouna, about £20m
Aurèle Amenda, about £17m
Taiwo Awoniyi, about £17m

The scale of Coventry City’s spending is striking. The club’s previous record before this summer was Haji Wright’s £7.7m move from Antalyaspor in August 2023. The club has now moved into a different level of spending after promotion.

Awoniyi’s arrival would sit behind three huge deals from Coventry’s 2026 spending spree.

Caleb Yirenkyi is at the top. The Ghana midfielder joined from Danish club Nordsjaelland in a deal reported at about £23m. The Guardian described the move as a club-record deal as Coventry prepared for their return to the Premier League.

Then comes Carl Rushworth. Coventry paid about £22.5m to bring the goalkeeper back from Brighton after his loan spell at the club. Rushworth played all 46 Championship games during the 2025-26 title campaign and kept 17 clean sheets.

His performances helped Coventry win promotion. The permanent transfer was another club record when it was completed, moving above Amenda’s earlier mark. The deal can also rise towards £30m through add-ons.

Loum Tchaouna also moved to Coventry during the summer from Burnley. His reported fee is about £20m, although Burnley confirmed that the final fee was undisclosed. Tchaouna played 32 times for Burnley in the 2025-26 season, scoring three goals.

Awoniyi would therefore arrive just below this group. The closest comparison is Aurèle Amenda. The Switzerland centre-back joined Coventry from Eintracht Frankfurt in July. Reports put the initial fee at £15.4m, with another £1.7m in possible add-ons. That gives the deal a potential value of just over £17m.

Amenda became Coventry’s record signing at the time. His record lasted only a few weeks before Rushworth moved above him. Awoniyi’s reported £17m deal would now put him in the same price range.

Why Coventry are spending so much

Coventry’s spending is linked to the club’s return to the Premier League. The Sky Blues won the Championship in 2025-26 after scoring 97 league goals. Their promotion ended a 25-year wait for top-flight football.

Lampard now has to prepare a squad for a much harder level of competition. Coventry’s first Premier League match is particularly demanding. They travel to face Arsenal on 21 August, with the Gunners entering the season as the reigning champions.

That makes the Awoniyi deal more than another expensive signing. The 29-year-old already has four seasons of Premier League experience with Nottingham Forest. He scored 21 Premier League goals for Forest and made 103 appearances in all competitions, providing six assists.

His experience could be important for a Coventry squad with limited top-flight experience. He knows the Premier League. Awoniyi joined Forest from Union Berlin in 2022 for about €20.5m. He then scored 10 league goals in his first Premier League season as Forest fought to stay in the division.

One of his most memorable moments came in May 2023 when he scored twice against Southampton in a 4-3 Forest win. He also scored against Liverpool and Arsenal during that first Premier League campaign.

His record also includes success with Nigeria. Awoniyi was part of the Nigeria Under-17 team that won the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He later won the Africa Under-20 title in 2015.

Coventry are therefore paying for a striker who has already played in the Premier League, not simply a player moving up from the Championship.