£3.5m Cardiff City star in transfer exit talks - Brian Barry-Murphy has revealed it | OneFootball

Brian Barry-Murphy has revealed that defender Jesper Daland is in talks with other clubs ahead of a potential exit from Cardiff City

Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy has revealed that Jesper Daland is undertaking discussions with other clubs ahead of a potential exit from the Welsh capital just twelve months on from his arrival last summer.

The Norweigan central defender was acquired during Erol Bulut's second and final summer in charge, setting the Bluebirds back a reported £3.5 million from Cercle Brugge as a replacement for Mark McGuinness following his move to Luton Town.

Daland, however, would go on to endure a turbulent debut campaign at Cardiff. He suffered a number of injury setbacks, the first of which came shortly after a promising debut display in the Bluebirds' dramatic 1-1 draw away to fierce rivals Swansea City in August's edition of the South Wales derby.

Despite having arrived as a big-money signing from the Belgian top-flight, though, the 25-year-old also struggled for regular minutes and finished the season with 20 appearances and 16 starts in the Championship as Cardiff ultimately finished bottom of the division, marking a return to the third-tier for the first time in more than 20 years.

Incomings have been kept to a minimum this summer, with ex-West Ham United goalkeeper Nathan Trott representing the Bluebirds' sole addition under Barry-Murphy at the time of writing. They have, however, sought to clear house and thin down the squad exponentially by sanctioning 12 departures and counting, with the likes of Anwar El Ghazi, Dimitrios Goutas, Yakou Meite, Callum O'Dowda, Joe Ralls, Andy Rinomhota all among those to have moved on following relegation.

Now, it appears as though Daland could be poised to become the next player heading out of the exit door before this summer's transfer window deadline.

Jesper Daland in line for Cardiff City transfer exit after Brian Barry-Murphy reveal

After featuring as a second-half substitute in Cardiff's 2-1 victory over Peterborough United on the opening weekend, Daland has been left out of the last two matchday squads for the trip to Port Vale and Tuesday evening's EFL Cup win against Swindon Town.

That has naturally prompted questions about a potential exit, which Barry-Murphy has now revealed is on the cards and is the reason behind his recent absences. The Irishman confirmed that Daland is engaged in conversations with other clubs pertaining to an exit, though he does not know whether any departure will be a temporary or permanent one.

Speaking to the press after Cardiff's 2-1 first-round win at home to Swindon, Barry-Murphy said: "Jesper's in conversations with other clubs, so he's not available."

When asked if a deal was close to being completed, he added: "I don't know. I don't know how close."

Barry-Murphy also admitted it "wasn't right to say" whether goalkeeping duo Jak Alnwick and Ethan Horvath were close to leaving, having both been left out of the squad behind starting shot-stopper Trott and then Matt Turner on the bench.

Cardiff City urgently need another central defender amid Brian Barry-Murphy, Jesper Daland transfer reveal

Daland's proposed exit will only further necessitate the urgency of sourcing additions in central defence, which has proved a notable point of weakness and concern in what has been an otherwise-solid start to Barry-Murphy's reign in the early throes of the 2025/26 campaign.

Cardiff conceded 73 goals in the Championship last season and, though now in a lower division, there are few signs of those defensive frailties abating. Former Arsenal and Aston Villa man Callum Chambers, who was named as captain by Barry-Murphy ahead of the curtain-raiser against Peterborough, has looked out of sorts in the centre of defence, where he has been partnered by either Will Fish or Dylan Lawlor.

Both young and promising, the duo also remain raw and inexperienced and many supporters believe that a senior, commanding presence is needed - which Daland himself has not proved to be, it must be said.

Indeed, moving Daland on may be the right decision after he struggled in his first season, especially if it's on a permanent basis with an outlay that Cardiff can reinvest into a replacement, but losing a defensive body at a time when fans are banging the drum for reinforcements in the backline is a concern and the Bluebirds need to take action in the market.