Coventry City forward Fabio Tavares has been offered a permanent exit away from the Championship side, ahead of the opening of the summer transfer window.
The 24-year-old ended the 2024/25 campaign away from the Sky Blues, joining League One strugglers Burton Albion on loan in January and helped to keep the Brewers in the third-tier, pulling off a famous EFL escape.
This was the forward’s first senior loan spell whilst being a Coventry City player and is very likely to be his last due to his current deal expiring at the end of the campaign.
However, he may not find himself as a free agent for too long following confirmation that he has an offer on the table to secure his long-term future after life at the CBS Arena.
Coventry man set for exit
As confirmed via the side’s official club website, Burton Albion have offered forward Fabio Tavares a permanent contract with the League One side.
In a short paragraph, they stated…
‘Max Crocombe, Ryan Sweeney, Jón Dadi Bödvarsson, Kegs Chauke, Finn Delap, Fábio Tavares and Kamil Dudek are out of contract this summer but have received offers from Albion in an attempt to keep them at Pirelli Stadium next term.’
Tavares is set to become a free agent this summer and appears highly-likely to leave the Championship side after falling out of favour and struggling to earn first-team minutes under both Mark Robins and current-boss Frank Lampard.
The Portuguese forward has registered just 27 senior appearances in four season’s since his switch from Rochdale and has fallen behind the likes of Ellis Simms, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Norman Bassette at the CBS Arena.
This matched with the rise of U21s forward and United States youth international Aidan Dausch, has created a scenario where Tavares looks almost-certain to be leaving.
How has he fared this season?
During the first-half of the campaign, Tavares registered just two senior appearances for the Sky Blues and failed to feature under Frank Lampard since his arrival in November.
This matched with his current contract situation led to him being loaned out in search of first-team minutes in January and he linked up with Burton Albion.
Tavares scored his first goal for the club at the third attempt, during a 3-1 loss against Bristol Rovers but suffered an injury whilst scoring which saw him sidelined for two months.
However, since his return in April Tavares has shown plenty of bright moments for the Brewers, scoring against League One champions Birmingham City as well as providing a vital assist against Cambridge United which led to their survival in the third-tier.
In total, the 24-year-old contributed to three goals in ten appearances for Burton Albion.
Is he likely to accept the offer?
Tavares has struggled for consistent first-team minutes across his entire career but seemingly got them whilst at Burton Albion.
He is highly-likely to be wanting to join a side where he can become the main man, rather than acting as a squad/youth option and that is exactly what Burton could bring him.
The Brewers will be a League One side again next season and are likely to want to invest in the squad to ensure they don’t have a repeat of their woes from the 2024/25 campaign.
Due to his age, Tavares will be available on a free transfer and won’t be subject to any compensation packages which increases Burton’s chances of securing the 24-year-old on a permanent deal this summer.
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