Exclusive: Salford City and Stevenage line-up talks with 23-year-old as Crewe agreement stalls | OneFootball

Crewe Alexandra midfielder, Tariq Uwakwe, is expected to hold talks with Salford City and Stevenage over a transfer in the coming weeks, sources have revealed to Football League World over the weekend.

Uwakwe is out of contract at Crewe and is yet to sign new terms to keep him at Gresty Road heading into the 2023/24 campaign.

Who is Tariq Uwakwe?

Uwakwe is a product of Chelsea's youth set-up and has played at various age levels for England on a national front.

The versatile midfielder was given plenty of development squad opportunities at Stamford Bridge, but it was out on loan in the EFL that he made strides in senior football.

In 2020/21 he made 15 appearances for Accrington Stanley in League One, scoring once and registering three assists.

He joined Crewe on a permanent deal in the January of 2022, signing an 18-month deal with Alex.

The 23-year-old has made 48 appearances in all competitions for Crewe, scoring one goal and registering a further five assists.

What is Uwakwe's contract situation at Crewe?

Uwakwe signed 18-month terms with Crewe in January 2022, which have not been renegotiated.

As things stand, he will be out of contract this summer.

Crewe, though, confirmed within their retained list - released in mid-May - that they had offered the midfielder a new contract.

Football League World has been told there's an eagerness at Gresty Road to retain Uwakwe.

Who is interested in signing Uwakwe?

The issue for Crewe is that there are other interested parties.

Indeed, sources have told Football League World that talks are scheduled between Uwakwe and two other EFL clubs: Salford City and Stevenage.

Salford are planning another push for promotion in League Two, having seen their promotion hopes ended by Stockport County last month in the play-off semi-finals.

Stevenage, meanwhile, offer a different opportunity, having been led to promotion by Steve Evans last season. They finished runners-up to Leyton Orient in League Two and can offer Uwakwe a return to League One.