Cardiff City, Stoke City and West Brom in transfer tussle for 19-cap international | OneFootball

Cardiff City, Stoke City and West Brom are all interested in signing Charleroi centre-back Stelios Andreou.

Highlights

Cardiff City, Stoke City and West Brom are all interested in Charleroi centre-back Stelios Andreou, who could be available for around £1.25m this summer.

The 22-year-old came through the ranks at Olympiakos Nicosia, before moving to his current club in 2021, and he has gone on to make almost 100 appearances for the Belgian outfit, who play in the top division.

Stelios Andreou transfer latest as Cardiff City, Stoke City and West Brom weigh up move

But, it appears Andreou could be on the move this summer, as Football Insider has revealed that Cardiff, Stoke and Albion are all tracking the defender.

The update adds that Charleroi could be willing to accept an offer of around £1.25m for Andreou, who still has two years left on his contract with the club, which should put him within the price range of all the clubs mentioned.

It’s said that all three clubs are currently at the stage where they are monitoring Andreou, so it will be interesting to see if a formal offer is lodged ahead of the deadline, which is on August 31.

Stelios Andreou could be a shrewd investment

It’s fair to presume that most fans of the Bluebirds, Potters and Baggies won’t have seen Andreou play, but he would arrive in England with a decent pedigree.

As well as racking up an impressive number of games in his professional club career so far - at a decent standard, Andreou has also established himself as a regular for Cyprus, winning 19 caps for his country since his debut in 2021.

At 22, it’s clear that Andreou is a player who is some way away from his peak, so there is plenty of room for improvement, and there will be an expectation that he can continue to develop.

Therefore, he will be seen as a shrewd long-term investment, and his value would rise if he does get better, meaning Andreou is also a player who could be sold for a profit in the years to come, which is another factor that clubs consider in the market.

From the perspective of the centre-back, the chance to play in the Championship will surely appeal, as it’s a quality league, and the three clubs tracking Andreou will all fancy their chances of reaching the play-offs as they seek a return to the Premier League.

Cardiff City, Stoke City and West Brom need defensive reinforcements

Of course, there is an element of risk to any signing, especially when they come from abroad, but the Championship trio are right to be on the lookout for a new centre-back.

With West Brom, whilst they have added Torbjorn Heggem to the squad, they still need a dominant centre-back as they try to cope without the loss of Cedric Kipre, and Andreou could become that powerful figure that Carlos Corberan wants to help his team.

Meanwhile, Stoke are preparing for Steven Schumacher’s first full season in charge, and he will want a new option at the back, particularly as Luke McNally has returned to Burnley, even if the Potters are trying to get him back to the Bet365 Stadium.