The Cardiff City situation that may interest Chelsea FC and Liverpool | OneFootball

Ronan Kpakio is one of the EFL's most sought after talents but has only started one of the last six matches for the Bluebirds

There is one Cardiff City situation involving 18-year-old right-back Ronan Kpakio that may make it easier for the Premier League’s elite in their bids to sign the Welshman.

According to a report from Graeme Bailey via TeamTalk, more than half of the Premier League are eyeing up Kpakio alongside his 19-year-old Bluebirds teammate Dylan Lawlor - including the traditional 'big six'.

Albeit centre-back Lawlor is the subject of more apparent interest than Kpakio, which includes the likes of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, Bailey revealed via X that Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are all in the race to sign the Welsh duo as a pair.

However, there is something happening in south Wales which could potentially turn the full-back's head in regard to a move away.

The Ronan Kpakio situation at Cardiff City which could interest Chelsea and Liverpool

Kpakio was somewhat of a revelation at right-back early on this season for the league leaders, and had overtaken experienced right-back Perry Ng to secure the spot as his own.

Upon being called up to the Wales senior squad in September after just six professional appearances, Craig Bellamy labelled his potential as "ridiculously high", who also revealed that he'd tried to sign Kpakio at Burnley when working as Vincent Kompany's assistant.

Now though, Ng, who is 11 years older than the Welsh teenager, has seemingly regained his place in Brian Barry Murphy's side - with Kpakio starting just one of Cardiff's last six games, if you disregard Monday night's fixtures.

Even then, against Doncaster Rovers - which was Kpakio's last start - the 18-year-old was replaced by Ng after just 45 minutes. For some added context, Lawlor has started four of the last six matches and was brought on in the Rovers game at the same time as Ng.

Whilst Kpakio remains a talent with exceptional potential, the rotation at right-back means he is not guaranteed regular first-team starts at Cardiff, unlike Lawlor.

For a young player who some of England's biggest clubs are watching intently, the prospect of developing in an elite environment may suddenly become more appealing than competing with an established professional at a League One club.

Also, we've seen similar moves happen before, which suggests this isn't out of reach. In January 2022, Chelsea signed then-18-year-old left-back Dylan Williams from Derby County, who had made a total of nine senior appearances for the Rams as a second-year scholar.

With Kpakio penning a new Cardiff deal until 2029 in September, you can imagine the club are protecting themselves if a transfer does happen though, which Derby were unable to do at the time with Williams, as they were in administration.

For everything that suggests Kpakio could have his head turned, the Swansea-born teenager seems so grateful as to how his senior career has taken off - which puts him in good stead to reclaim his starting position back.

Speaking to BBC Sport Wales’ Dafydd Pritchard about his breakthrough season, Kpakio said in November, "It's really exciting. I'm quite young so this is new to me. Being able to play loads of games week in, week out is all I can ask for because I just want to get better."

The right-back then added, "And then to add the international part as well, that's big for me and I think that's only going to help me. I'm just grateful to be in a position to be able to be here and do this."

From these words, Kpakio comes across as very humble, and it's clear just how much he has the Bluebirds to thank for his rise. But, for the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool, they won't necessarily care if he's happy at Cardiff or not, it might just make it easier for them to poach the defender if he isn't content being back-up now.

Being a League One player, Kpakio would probably be available for a fraction of the price in comparison to those playing in higher divisions. If Cardiff were to get promoted, it’s likely that the teenager's value would rise even more.