Cardiff City must be on red alert to Chelsea, Xabi Alonso situation - it's not Omari Kellyman | OneFootball

Cardiff City will naturally have one eye on Chelsea's Omari Kellyman, but the Bluebirds should also be eyeing up a move for Blues prodigy Shim Mhueka

Cardiff City's summer transfer window is expected to kick into gear in the coming days as Vincent Tan looks to arm Brian Barry-Murphy with the requisite financial ammunition to continue the Bluebirds' ascent following an instant promotion out of League One last season.

No fresh faces have arrived in the Welsh capital at the time of writing, with popular goalkeeper Nathan Trott representing the only acquisition after the club exercised the purchase option in the ex-Copenhagen star's loan deal.

That, however, is subject to change rather imminently, for a recent report by WalesOnline has revealed that Cardiff are hopeful of completing up to three signings next week amid a high-profile pursuit of sought-after Tromso midfield prodigy Jens Hjerto-Dahl.

The 2026/27 Championship campaign is swiftly approaching and Cardiff's bumper curtain-raiser tie at home to Welsh rivals Wrexham beckons just over two weeks from now, with supporters increasingly desperate to see a plethora of incomings before a ball is kicked in the new season - one which the Bluebirds will intend on attacking with vigor after a triumphant term in the third-tier.

Naturally, of course, Cardiff will need to bolster a number of positions ahead of the upcoming campaign, and while it's rather well-documented that Barry-Murphy is eyeing reinforcements out wide, in central midfield and at left back, the Irishman will possess the acumen to appreciate that he would also find himself well-served by beefing up the striking options at his disposal.

Just as he has been for much of his Cardiff stay to date, having scored 24 goals from 63 outings since arriving from Swedish top-flight outfit Sirius in January of last year, Yousef Salech remains in pole position to lead the line for Barry-Murphy's side next time out, and there's no reason why that should change.

The volume of strength in depth behind the powerful Danish-born frontman, however, lingers with much less certainty, and presents a potential problem that Cardiff should be looking to nip in the bud this summer.

Cardiff City should be on red alert to Chelsea, Xabi Alonso transfer situation

Cardiff will face the question of whether to stick or twist with their existing options away from Salech, which includes both Callum Robinson and Isaak Davies.

The pair both bring redeeming qualities and, particularly in the former's case, tangible goalscoring pedigree at Championship level. Exactly where they score in Barry-Murphy's esteemed thinking, though, is another matter entirely, and the fact they only mustered up a combined total of 2,030 minutes - equivalent to 22 90's - across a League One season which saw Salech sidelined for two-and-a-half months between January and the beginning of April - perhaps paints a clear picture.

Importantly, Barry-Murphy opted to drag loan sensation Omari Kellyman and even mercurial playmaker Rubin Colwill out of position into withdrawn striker roles throughout the absence of his star striker, which proved an inspired call of judgement - albeit one rather reflective of where Robinson and Davies stand in the pecking order.

Indeed, clamour for Kellyman's return to South Wales remains at large after the 20-year-old struck on 11 occasions to spearhead Cardiff's promotion bid in the second-half of the previous campaign, but with that saga more likely to play out and reach an outcome closer to the window's conclusion owing to his involvement in Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia, the Bluebirds should set their sights on a Stamford Bridge starlet left out of the trip down under.

Widely tipped as one of the finest prospects in arguably English football's most vaunted talent production line, Shim Mhueka was omitted by new boss Xabi Alonso as the club prepare to sanction a loan exit from West London subject to renewing his contract - although a permanent move hasn't been ruled out either.

Aged just 18 but with the world seemingly at his feet, Mheuka's pedigree and hit-rate in the age-group game would mark out the Championship as a likely landing spot and Cardiff should be looking to make their move.

The young striker's goalscoring returns are nothing short of remarkable, rendering him worthy of a punt from a wide variety of second-tier sides this summer.

Mhueka, who has already appeared for Chelsea's first-team on nine occasions, was named as Premier League 2 Player of the Season back in May after an outstanding campaign which saw him score 18 goals in 19 outings.

His performances for England's under-19 side have been similarly encouraging too, with the forward returning 16 strikes from 23 caps after debuting at just 16 back in 2024.

Of course, translating performances from youth level into the men's game comes with myriad trials and tribulations, and it's a step that many young hotshots are simply unable to take.

With Mhueka, however, there is tangible confidence both among those at Cobham and beyond that he's every bit capable of doing exactly that, and as he prepares to earn his senior stripes away from the Bridge, it's Cardiff who should be pushing their way to the front of the queue.

Cardiff City could have Chelsea, Shim Mhueka transfer advantage

The Bluebirds wouldn't necessarily be able to offer an unrivaled starting berth to Mheuka or, for that matter, any striker realistically expected to appear on the club's radar in the remainder of the window, with Salech possessing one of the side's safest spots and for good reason.

That said, Barry-Murphy - despite his favouring for a small squad roster - needs to trust his options in every area of the pitch, which may just amplify striking pursuits towards the latter stages of the summer months, making a move for Mhueka tick many boxes.

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It must be stressed that, if Cardiff were to launch a pursuit of the teenage wonderkid's signature, they would do so with at least two undoubted advantages in their grasp.

Overseeing Mhueka's immediate future will be Chelsea recruitment figure Joe Shields, who is known to have strong connections with both Barry-Murphy and assistant Lee Riley dating back to their time together working at Manchester City.

That prior working relationship, coupled with Shields' first-hand knowledge of the inner-workings within Cardiff's coaching staff and exactly how that could aid Mheuka's immediate and long-term development, would surely have been optimised to sign the aforementioned Kellyman last summer and could come up trumps once again before the window is up this time around.

And it's Kellyman's successes that add another spring to the bow which Cardiff should - even if there is no known interest right now - be looking to present to the two-time UEFA Champions League winners.

The ex-Derby County and Aston Villa academy star endured an injury-plagued debut campaign with Chelsea after completing a £19 million move from the latter, meaning his arrival in League One nearly twelve months ago was regarded as a real coup.

That's exactly what it proved to be, with the versatile Kellyman - playing in attacking midfield, wide-right and, as mentioned, even up top - growing in confidence over the course of the campaign to gradually establish himself as a key component in Barry-Murphy's promotion-winning machine, hitting double figures and netting a memorable brace in a 3-1 victory at Reading to officially book the Bluebirds' ticket back in the Championship.

There is a chance, of course, that Kellyman could return to Cardiff in the coming weeks. Few signings would generate a better reception from supporters, that's for sure, and the Bluebirds should use the former loan star as a marker to leverage moves for Mhueka and other promising talents from English football's top dogs.