Cardiff City suffer Omari Kellyman transfer blow as Chelsea priority revealed | OneFootball

A telling response has been issued to calls for on-loan sensation Omari Kellyman to join Cardiff City permanently from Chelsea

Cardiff City will already have one eye on the Championship as Brian Barry-Murphy's side edge ever closer to sealing promotion out of League One at the very first time of asking following last season's relegation, despite being rocked by a chastening 5-2 defeat at Plymouth Argyle over the weekend.

Supporters will be hoping that the shock defeat at Home Park was a mere blip for the Bluebirds, who have displayed dominant League One form for much of the current campaign and have built up a healthy advantage at the top of the table to underline their promotion credentials in recent months.

Though Lincoln City continue to breathe down Cardiff's necks, with just one point separating the two sides ahead of a huge potential title-decider clash in the Welsh capital at the start of next month, they hold a stunning eleven-point advantage over third-placed Bolton Wanderers with a game in hand for good measure, too.

The title may well hang in the balance, but a successful first attempt at promotion is looking increasingly likely.

As Cardiff continue to amplify their efforts to return straight back to the Championship, fans are wondering what's ahead and what the club's transfer business could look like in the summer window. Cardiff did, of course, make just three signings throughout the entirety of the previous summer in the form of Omari Kellyman, Gabriel Osho and Nathan Trott, with Barry-Murphy electing to clear house, shift deadwood, retain prized assets and elevate the levels of those already at his disposal without completing an influx of acquisitions.

It's Kellyman who has been among Cardiff's outstanding performers for chunks of this campaign, though, with the on-loan Chelsea attacker starring in recent months to support his side's charge towards the title. Kellyman's future has been a hot topic in the Bluebirds fanbase, but it now looks clearer in what represents a potential blow for the Welsh outfit.

Omari Kellyman reveals Chelsea priority in potential Cardiff City transfer blow

The 20-year-old has enjoyed an electric vein of form in recent weeks, posting five goals and an assist in his last six outings after being moved to a false-nine role amid Yousef Salech's injury-enforced absence.

Having operated out wide, in attacking midfield and now leading the line, Kellyman's versatility and fluidity has often offered a fresh dimension to Cardiff's attack, and he managed to snatch a brace - with a stunning curling effort to get his second of the afternoon - in the Bluebirds' aforementioned defeat at Plymouth on Saturday afternoon.

The playmaker's upturn in form has amplified urges for a permanent transfer to Cardiff if promotion is sealed, but while Kellyman hasn't categorically played down a return next term, his long-term priority has been made clear and any hopes of snapping his services up on a full-time basis now appear futile.

Kellyman made headlines when he joined Chelsea from Aston Villa in a shock reported £19 million deal in the summer of 2024, having only made six professional appearances for Unai Emery's side.

He's yet to turn out at senior level for Chelsea, with a series of crushing injury setbacks defining a bitterly-disappointing debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, but in spite of the Blues' influx of prodigies and unrelenting recruitment drive, the Derby County academy product still has strong designs on making his mark in West London and it will be interesting to see what's next.

When quizzed on such calls from supporters, Kellyman told Simon Johnson of The Athletic: "I have seen those. Even coming out of the stadium, I can hear them saying it.

"It is great. After having a whole season being in the shadows, it is good to feel wanted again.

"But I signed for Chelsea, and I want to play for Chelsea - that is the end goal."

Cardiff City must try for fresh Chelsea, Omari Kellyman loan transfer

Although Kellyman's stance on leaving Chelsea permanently is plainly clear at this moment in time, there's little to suggest that he's going to be able to force his way into Liam Rosenior's immediate thinking quite just yet and a second successive loan exit would feel the likely course of action once the summer rolls around.

Interest in his signature is sure to be high, with Kellyman having now begun to justify his long-hailed potential and translate it to the senior game, and Cardiff will surely be one of a number of suitors.

They can expect strong competition from the Championship, although the fact Kellyman has developed in such a manner while playing regular football and enjoying his time in South Wales works in Cardiff's favour and hands much-needed leverage over competitors.

Should Cardiff's promotion bid not falter, they may just fancy their chances of bringing the talented starlet back for a second season and that must represent one of Barry-Murphy's top transfer priorities in the summer.