Cardiff City's chances of signing player dealt blow as Brighton join race | OneFootball

Cardiff City’s chances of signing CFR Cluj’s Philip Otele have been dealt a significant blow.

According to the Evening Standard, Brighton are eyeing a move for the Nigerian this summer.

The Bluebirds reportedly showed an interest in signing the 24-year-old, but were turned down by the player.

It is believed that he was not interested in making the switch to the Championship, and may now be set for a move to the Premier League instead.

Otele has performed well in the Romanian league, catching the attention of clubs across Europe with his displays.

Cardiff City’s Philip Otele transfer interest

Otele’s impressive campaign at Cluj attracted the attention of Cardiff, as well as French sides Bordeaux and Lorient.

It has been claimed that the Ligue 2 and 1 sides were both willing to offer somewhere between €1.3 and 1.8 (£1.1 and 1.5) million, but those offers were rejected by Cluj.

It is understood that Otele’s club is holding out for a fee worth closer to €4 (£3.4) million in the summer.

But it is Brighton who are now leading the chase to sign the winger, with the Seagulls eyeing a move in the region of £3 million for the player.

It is expected that any deal to sign Otele would see him initially sign for partner club Union Saint-Gilloise on loan.

Brighton have utilised their partnership with the Belgian side many times in the recent past, with the likes of Moises Caicedo and Denis Undav both enjoying stints with the club before making their way into the Premier League club’s first team squad.

Otele has contributed 13 goals and six assists in the Romanian Ligue 1 so far this campaign (all stats from Fbref), with the team currently fourth in the table.

A move to Brighton would be a big step up, with Roberto de Zerbi’s side competing for European qualification for next season.

Cardiff City's Philip Otele blow

This will come as a blow to Cardiff, who had been hoping to prise the talented forward from Cluj.

Otele is a right-footed left-winger, who can also play through the middle as an attacking midfielder.

He has been a standout figure in the Romanian top flight, and looks set to be on the move this summer for a relatively low sum.

But it has been reported that he has no interest in signing for a second division side, with Cardiff sitting 11th in the Championship, with promotion to the Premier League this season looking unlikely.

Nothing Cardiff could do with Otele pursuit

Cardiff have clearly spotted an exciting talent given the level of interest surrounding Otele, but it appears their chances of signing him were never realistic.

He would have been an exciting arrival, but now Brighton seems the far likelier destination this summer.

This does give an indication of the kind of player the Welsh outfit is looking to sign, with Erol Bulut seemingly interested in improving his attacking options.