Cardiff City are chasing a move to sign Devante Cole from Barnsley, according to Lyall Thomas from Sky Sports.
The Welsh side has been linked with a move for a striker ever since the window began. Kieffer Moore from Bournemouth has also been linked with the club and now Cardiff are looking to make a move for Barnsley’s Cole.
With 15 goals this season in League One, it’s not hard to see why there are clubs interested in his signature. The Bluebirds are not alone in the chase for the former Manchester City youngster, with Huddersfield Town and Hull City also monitoring the situation.
The Tigers have lost Scott Twine to Bristol City today, and manager Liam Rosenior is working on replacing the midfielder as well as trying to get a striker into the club before the window shuts. Huddersfield Town are in the relegation battle and have begun hunting for a goalscorer to try and fire them to safety after a turbulent first half of the season.
Erol Bulut is eager to get a new forward into the Cardiff City Stadium. Umut Nayir, a linked target, is now set to stay in Turkey after he joined Pendikspor. Cole, who is the son of former Manchester United legend Andy Cole, looks to be the one the club are trying to sign as an alternative.
With the Welsh side and the Tigers three points and one point away from the play-off spots respectively, the likelihood is that they both have an advantage in the race over the Terriers. The 28-year-old striker has a current market value of £645k according to Transfermarkt, but may be sold for cheaper due to his contract expiring this summer.
The Tykes won’t want to lose one of their star players but may have to be resigned to the fact that the lure of the Championship is sometimes too much for a player to turn down. The League One side sit sixth in the table, nine points behind the leaders Portsmouth.
No official offers have been launched by any of the interested clubs as of yet. Any potential deal is unlikely to be concluded before the Bluebird’s next game against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.
Writer’s View
Cole is certainly a player capable of coming up a level to the Championship and would make a big difference to any of the three sides interested. It may come down to his personal preference in regards to which club he does sign for, but Cardiff may feel it’s a chance to close to gap to the top six if they can land the deal.
Bulut’s side have fewer goals than 11 of the 12 teams ahead of them, and the only thing that will change that in a hurry is a proven goalscorer.
