Rangers in pole position for £7m deal in blow to Cardiff City | OneFootball

Cardiff City have received a significant blow from Rangers in their efforts to land one of this summer's most eye-catching EFL transfer moves

Cardiff City are looking to begin making headway in the summer transfer window after returning to the Championship at the very first time of asking under popular head coach Brian Barry-Murphy, with the 2026/27 campaign swiftly approaching.

It has been a quiet start to the summer for the Bluebirds, who have adopted an equally-measured approach in the market as they did twelve months ago and are yet to make a signing beyond exercising their purchase option of Nathan Trott following the goalkeeper's successful loan spell from Copenhagen.

Cardiff will need to bolster a number of positions as they prepare for life back in the second-tier, with further quality required in midfield to compensate for the controversial release of award-winning midfielder Ryan Wintle alongside supplementing the wide areas and bringing in depth at left-back and even up top behind star striker Yousef Salech.

Barry-Murphy's latest transfer pursuit, however, has got supporters talking, although the Bluebirds are facing a new blow after setting their sights on an extremely ambitious deal ahead of the new season.

Rangers hand Cardiff City new Jens Hjerto-Dahl transfer blow

Earlier this week, it was revealed by both the Daily Record and Sky Sports that Cardiff had seen a blockbuster £5.5 million bid rejected by Tromso for highly-rated Norweigan starlet Jens Hjerto-Dahl, which came after Scottish giants Rangers suffered their own blow when a £5 million advance was also rebuffed.

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It's widely-reported that Tromso are holding out for an outlay of up to £7 million in order to part ways with Hjerto-Dahl, who has emerged as one of the most exciting talents in Norway and appears poised to seal a big move this summer as Cardiff and Rangers both address the next steps to take in the race to seal his sought-after signature.

However, reports have continually insisted that Hjerto-Dahl's preference is to head to Ibrox if a deal can be brokered between the two clubs owing to the opportunity of playing European football, and the 20-year-old's wish may just be granted following a crucial new update.

As reported yesterday by TEAMtalk, Rangers remain the front-runners despite Cardiff's higher bid and are now willing to come closer to meeting Tromso's £7 million asking price ahead of other parties, which could force the Bluebirds to assess other midfield targets instead.

Cardiff supporters were briefly more hopeful when an update from Serbian outlet Mozzart Sport revealed that Rangers are closing in on the £4.8 million capture of Partizan Belgrade captain Vanja Dragojevic, who is the same age as Hjerto-Dahl and represents a similar recruitment profile in midfield, although TEAMtalk's own claim suggests that both deals are being worked on as the Gers eye up a revamp of their options in the middle of the park as opposed to prioritising one move over the other.

Exactly what Cardiff will do next remains unclear, although their prospects of actually landing Hjerto-Dahl always felt somewhat ambitious and have arguably received a hammer blow unless Rangers pull out of the race in unprecedented fashion.

Cardiff City may have to look elsewhere after Rangers, Jens Hjerto-Dahl transfer update

Although Cardiff will argue they possess no shortage of pulling power due to club stature, the presence of Barry-Murphy and, in tandem, a a richly-attractive project encompassing the platforming and progression of numerous young talents produced by the club's burgeoning academy system, joining Rangers represents a different, and more prestigious, kettle of fish entirely.

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The Bluebirds' only real hope of landing Hjerto-Dahl, who featured in the CIES Football Observatory's list of the 100 best under-20 talents in world football less than two years ago relative to his high level of experience at a remarkably young age, would have been if Rangers were unwilling to meet Tromso's demands, with the player himself having long favoured a switch to Glasgow.

Rangers now appear to be amplifying their interest and closing in on Hjerto-Dahl's asking price in spite of Dragojevic's arrival, though, which is perhaps set to see Barry-Murphy and co look elsewhere instead.

Regarded among the most prodigious young midfielders in Europe, the 7-cap Norway under-21 international captain already has close to 100 senior appearances and has recorded six goals and two assists from just 13 outings for Tromso in the 2026 Eliteserien campaign to date, meaning his capture would've represented a significant statement of intent from Cardiff beyond the financial outlay.

Cardiff's interest alone should serve to excite fans, for it's a sign of that ambition and that owner Vincent Tan is clearly willing to spend in this summer's window, but that's unlikely to be on Hjerto-Dahl if recent reports are to be believed - though there are still some real wins to be had in the market and fans will be expecting eye-catching moves to be made elsewhere.