Football League World
·4 August 2024
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·4 August 2024
Cardiff City are set to win the race to sign a Manchester City youngster this summer
Cardiff City are set to win the race to sign Manchester City youngster Alex Robertson amid competition from Hull City and Portsmouth.
According to Hull Live, the Bluebirds have agreed a deal with the Premier League champions for the 21-year-old.
Robertson spent last season on loan with Pompey, helping the club gain promotion to the Championship.
The Australian made 23 appearances in League One, including 20 starts, contributing one goal and four assists (all stats from Fbref) prior to a serious hamstring injury in January.
His return to Man City has led to speculation over his immediate future, with the midfielder unable to break into Pep Guardiola’s first team plans.
Cardiff have agreed a deal with Man City to bring Robertson to Erol Bulut’s side for the upcoming Championship campaign.
Multiple second division sides have been in the hunt to win his signature, but the Bluebirds are now in pole position.
As recently as this week, Portsmouth manager John Mousinho had publicly claimed that the club was still in the hunt to bring the player back to Fratton Park.
However, Pompey are now set to miss out on the signing of Robertson, in what will be a blow to their preparations for life back in the second tier.
Hull have also shown an interest in signing the Man City youngster, according to a previous report from Hull Live, with Tim Walter looking to build a team capable of promotion.
But Cardiff have reportedly made the agreement with the Manchester outfit, giving them the edge.
This will be a real boost to Bulut going into the new campaign, with the 21-year-old set to become the latest addition to his side.
The Welsh outfit will be eyeing a competitive year ahead, as they look to build on their 12th place finish last season in what was his first term in charge of the club.
Cardiff have already made a number of signings this summer ahead of next weekend’s opening round of league fixtures.
Calum Chambers, Anwar El Ghazi and Chris Willock have arrived on a permanent basis, signing as free agents.
Wilfried Kanga has also signed for Bulut’s side, joining from Hertha Berlin on loan for the year.
The south Wales outfit will be aiming to compete for promotion to the Premier League over the coming months, with their opening game coming at home against Sunderland on 10 August.
Robertson performed well in League One last season, and was a regular presence in Mousinho’s side as they won the third division title.
Winning the race to his signature over Pompey, as well as Hull, will be a big win for the project Bulut is building at Cardiff, especially with his history at Fratton Park from last season.
Man City have produced a lot of exciting, technically gifted youngsters, and they have become hot commodities in the transfer market.
At 21, Robertson has a lot of time to develop and improve his game, and he could become a really valuable, long-term asset for the club if given the right environment to succeed.