Cardiff City transfer news as ex-Liverpool man linked, Etete exit talk, boss speaks out on Moore and Allsop leaves for Hull City
The latest Bluebirds news from Cardiff City Stadium
Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Wednesday, August 30.
Bluebirds ‘plot move’ for ex-Liverpool winger
Cardiff City are among a number of clubs to have been linked with former Liverpool winger Liam Millar.
Cardiff have signed Karlan Grant, Josh Bowler and Yakou Meite in those wide areas, to complement Callum Robinson, Ollie Tanner, Callum O’Dowda and even Rubin Colwill already at the club.
However, Football Insider now suggest that Cardiff, along with Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United, Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers are all interested in taking on the FC Basel winger.
The Canada international, who has 13 goals and 10 assists in 98 appearances for the Swiss side, has a contract which runs until 2025, so a loan would be the only viable avenue through which Cardiff could sign him. At the moment, it appears unlikely.
Cardiff certainly want at least one defender and possibly a striker before Friday’s deadline, however they have used up four of their five allotted loan slots.
READ MORE: Cardiff City ins and outs – what will happen in the last three days of summer transfer window
Etete exit?
Cardiff striker Kion Etete is set to be made available for a loan spell away from the club, according to reports.
Etete has struggled for form at the start of the season, but has scored twice in the League Cup against Colchester United and last night against Birmingham City.
However, in relation to a potential move to Charlton Athletic, South London Press claim Etete could be made available for a loan before Friday’s deadline.
Any move outwards for Etete would surely mean one coming in, with Ike Ugbo the only real recognised striker. One suspects Etete would only be let go if a replacement is sought after first.
Another Turkish defender linked
Cardiff look incredibly short of options at centre-back and Erol Bulut wants one, but possibly two, central defenders in before Friday’s 11pm deadline.
“We need centre-backs!” Bulut said after the win over Birmingham City on Tuesday night. “I hope [to sign] at least one. Maybe two centre-backs.”
Bulut previously confirmed he is looking to sign the defensive player permanently, with only one loan slot remaining in his current roster. Reports in Turkey over the weekend claimed the manager was interested in bringing Serdar Aziz, the Fenerbahce centre-half with whom Bulut worked during his time at the Turkish club, however the 32-year-old is still in contract and will be until 2025. Unless he performs a similar feat to SIopis, who essentially bought himself out of his own contract to sign for Cardiff as a free agent, it appears to be a non-starter.
Bulut has previously played down links with Ertuğrul Ersoy from Gaziantep.
Either way, it seems unthinkable that Cardiff would end the window without more centre-back cover through the door.
Ryan Allsop departs for Hull City
Ryan Allsop has made a permanent move to Hull City.
The goalkeeper has dropped down the pecking order since the arrival of Alex Runarsson, with Jak Alnwick also having started the season in good form.
It is understood the deal for Allsop is worth around £250,000.
“Ryan Allsop has today completed a permanent transfer to Hull City for an undisclosed fee, subject to clearance,” the Bluebirds wrote in a statement.
“The goalkeeper joined City in June 2022 and made 43 appearances for the Bluebirds, keeping 12 clean sheets. We’d like to thank Rocky for his efforts during his time in South Wales, and wish him all the very best for the future.”
Callum Robinson injury update
Erol Bulut has explained Callum Robinson’s recent absences from match days.
The season just hasn’t taken off for the forward yet and he was a notable absentee both for the win over Sheffield Wednesday on the weekend and the midweek triumph over Birmingham City.
We are told he is still very much a key part of this squad and any talk of a transfer was quickly quashed. And when asked by WalesOnline after the match last night, Bulut said of Robinson: “Callum has an injury which started in Portugal.
“He has a problem, a muscular problem, in his back. So, sometimes it goes away and sometimes it comes back. Right now he doesn’t feel comfortable. We have to see what he has.
“In a short time, I hope he can be back and that we can use him. I hope as quick as possible.”
Bournemouth boss speaks out on Moore
Cardiff have made their stance about Kieffer Moore known to Bournemouth, but when quizzed on the Wales striker specifically on Tuesday night, Bulut played with a straight bat.
“Right now I cannot say anything. Wait until Friday and then we will see surprises, I hope!” he said with a grin.
Cherries boss Andoni Iraola was asked about Moore’s status after the win over Swansea in the Carabao Cup last night and didn’t rule anything out. “Right now, this is the situation,” he said. “You can never guarantee anything with any player because sometimes circumstances change from one over to the other. But this right now is the situation.
“Right now we have three forwards, with the option also of Justin [Kluivert]. We are happy with Dom [Solanke]. We have different options. You never know what will happen in the last few days of the market, but we are not especially looking forward to his moment.”
Reports are rife that Bournemouth are in the loan market for another striker before the deadline arrives and that will indeed have a knock-on effect, which Cardiff hopes will benefit them. Bournemouth are hoping for a fee for the Wales striker, but the Bluebirds are holding out for the last-minute sanctioning of a loan capture.
There’s certainly still life in this potential deal.
Bluebirds beat Lille to Arsenal signing
Cardiff beat off stiff competition, including from the top flight in France, to sign Arsenal’s Alex Runarsson on loan.
The Bluebirds confirmed the loan capture of Runarsson last week, a move which no doubt served to hasten the departure of Ryan Allsop to Hull City.
It seemed a protracted deal to get Runarsson over the line, though, given how long they were in conversations with Arsenal over the move.
