Cardiff City are set to seal the return of Liverpool left-back Calum Scanlon, but the Bluebirds have missed out on Omari Kellyman after Chelsea opted to pursue a permanent sale of the midfielder.
Scanlon is expected to complete his return to the Welsh capital, with a few more bits of paperwork to sign before an official announcement anticipated in the coming days. The 21-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Cardiff and made a strong impression during his time with the club, helping Brian Barry-Murphy's side secure promotion back to the Championship.
Scanlon poised for Cardiff return
Cardiff have been keen to bring Scanlon back to the club and are now set to get their man, with the Liverpool youngster poised to return to Cardiff City Stadium. His arrival will provide Barry-Murphy with another option at left-back as Cardiff prepare for life back in the Championship.
However, there is disappointment for Cardiff elsewhere, with Kellyman set to move on from Chelsea on a permanent basis rather than return to south Wales. The 20-year-old enjoyed a hugely impressive loan spell with Cardiff last season and had privately indicated earlier in the summer that his preference would be to return to the Welsh capital if Chelsea were prepared to send him out on loan again.
Kellyman heads to Strasbourg
Cardiff subsequently believed they were leading the race to bring Kellyman back. But his performances during his time in Wales have instead helped attract interest from elsewhere, with Chelsea now understood to be close to agreeing a significant permanent deal with sister club Strasbourg. The move would see Kellyman switch to the French top flight and begin the next stage of his career in Ligue 1.
It represents a blow to Cardiff, who had hoped to reunite with a player who became an important part of Barry-Murphy's side last season. Kellyman arrived in Cardiff on loan from Chelsea and impressed during the club's promotion campaign, establishing himself as one of the most exciting young players in the squad. His preference had been understood to be a return to Cardiff if another loan opportunity became available, but Chelsea's decision to pursue a permanent transfer has changed the picture.
Barry-Murphy tight-lipped on transfers
The Bluebirds' recruitment team will now have to look elsewhere for an attacking midfielder, with Barry-Murphy having already admitted that the club are looking to strengthen his squad ahead of the Championship campaign. Speaking earlier on Thursday, the Cardiff boss refused to be drawn on either Scanlon or Kellyman's situations.
“The idea when we brought those players to the club last year, as you'll be aware, is that we brought them because we believed they had potential to improve last season and also with the hope of them maybe being here for a second season,” he said. “But when they do so well and they have parent clubs who they belong to, they could end up staying at that club or going elsewhere. All those things are uncontrollable from our point of view and mean that we can't be certain what will happen with them.”
Asked whether discussions were ongoing over the pair, Barry-Murphy said: “I wouldn't say that, no.” And when asked how he would characterise Cardiff's pursuit of the players if his preference was to have them back, he added: “I wouldn't characterise it.” “We wouldn't speak about any player that we're trying to sign because they don't belong to us. To make an exception for them, I think, would be wrong in terms of professionalism and respect to the clubs that they belong to.”
Cardiff's expected Scanlon deal therefore represents a significant positive development for Barry-Murphy, but the loss of Kellyman means there remains work to do before the transfer window closes. The Bluebirds have already brought in Jack Moylan from Lincoln City this summer, while Nathan Trott's permanent transfer was also completed.
