Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Thursday, March 24.
Cardiff City 'chasing striker'
Cardiff City are among a number of clubs said to be chasing Salford City striker Brandon Thomas-Asante this summer. The 23-year-old forward has scored nine goals in 29 appearances for the League Two outfit and Football League World claim the Bluebirds, as well as Reading, Swansea City, Wigan Athletic, Portsmouth, Ipswich and MK Dons, are monitoring the forward.
The Bluebirds are set for an incredibly active summer transfer window, with as many as 15 players, including those on loan, currently set for the exit door. There is no doubt that they will want to bolster in the forward areas, but given they have the likes of Isaak Davies, Mark Harris and Max Watters, it would seem Thomas-Asante fits a similar mould and as such a move for the young forward appears unlikely.
READ MORE: Inside Cardiff City's academy as talent factory changes course of club's future
Replacing the likes of Jordan Hugill and Uche Ikpeazu, however, with a physical, experienced striker or two should be somewhere near the top of the wish list. For the latest Cardiff transfer news, sign up to our Bluebirds newsletter.
Drameh to seek Leeds 'assurances'
Cody Drameh is set to seek assurances over playing time if he is to stay at Leeds United next season, according to our sister title LeedsLive.
There could well be another loan exit on the cards for the Leeds loanee, which you can read more about here, with the Elland Road club set to bolster in wing-back areas in the summer. Quite where that leaves Drameh is anyone's guess, although Cardiff will certainly be keeping a keen eye on proceedings up in Yorkshire, that's for sure.
He has been superb since joining the Bluebirds in January, showcasing a freakish talent to cover ground incredibly quickly while adding a much-needed forward threat to Cardiff's right flank. It begs the question why Leeds let him leave in the first place, although it was Drameh who forced through the move, with Marcelo Bielsa thought to be keen on keeping him around the squad as they fought for Premier League survival.
There is a new man in the dugout now, of course, in Jesse Marsch. The American is going to want to take a closer look at him in pre-season, according to Beren Cross at LeedsLive, while Drameh himself will want to know where he stands because, as we've seen, he is not averse to taking his future into his own hands.
"I certainly believe they will take another close look at Drameh in the summer," Cross said. "From what I have read, he is excelling in the Championship with Cardiff City. Bielsa was very open to allowing the right-back to do what he wanted. If he wanted to go, Bielsa did not want to force him to stay.
"I wonder what approach Marsch and [director of football Victor] Orta will take in the summer if they do want Drameh to stick around in 22/23. Based on his attitude to this Cardiff move, he is going to want some assurances on how much he will play if he is to stay at Leeds next season."
Wrexham sign Lee Camp
Promotion-chasing non-League side Wrexham have announced the signing of former Cardiff City player Lee Camp.
The goalkeeper, 37, has joined the north Wales club until the end of the season following an injury to first-choice keeper Rob Lainton which has ruled him out of the remainder of the season.
Camp was signed by Neil Warnock at Cardiff in the summer of 2017, but famously never made an appearance for the club and joined Sunderland on loan half-way through the campaign. Having then gone on to Birmingham, Coventry and Swindon Town, just last month he was signed by Northern Premier League Division One West (eighth-tier) club Clitheroe on a short-term deal. Wrexham, though, have now snapped him up until the end of the season.
On signing for Wrexham, Camp said: “It’s exciting. Since finishing at the end of last season, there have been opportunities to get back in but nothing that has taken my fancy. You can get to a stage in your career where you just sort of plod along but I’ve never been that person. I’ve always wanted to be involved in stuff, add value and contribute, and be a part of something.
“Rob’s misfortune is why I’m here but to come to a football club with aspirations to get back into the EFL, and the excitement and the opportunity to be part of a promotion challenge and a semi-final in the FA Trophy next week… it’s exciting, it’s something you can get your teeth into and it gives you a buzz to get out of bed.
“I’m thankful and grateful for the opportunity. I’ve kept myself in shape and I feel within a couple of days I’ll be sharp and ready to contribute.”
Manager Phil Parkinson added: “I’m delighted to welcome Lee to the Club. It was important with the unfortunate injury to Rob Lainton that we brought another experienced goalkeeper in. He’s a keeper Lee Butler and I have known well over the years and he’ll be a strong addition to the squad going forward.”
Wrexham are currently fourth in the National League table.
No rest for Uche
Uche Ikpeazu has not seen the international break as a time to put his feet up. Quite the opposite, in fact.
While the striker headed out to Dubai, he wasn't there solely to soak up the sun and sample the food and drink on offer. Instead, clad from head to toe in Bluebirds clobber, the 27-year-old went on a boot camp to maintain his fitness levels for the final months of the season.
"DXB grind with the man @chris_elitedxb good to see you again bro," he wrote on Instagram, accompanied with a series of photos of him being put through his paces.
He is clearly gearing up for what promises to be a big summer ahead for the forward, with Chris Wilder clearly not seeing him as part of his plans at Middlesbrough.
We asked our sister title, TeessideLive whether Cardiff, if they wanted him, could get him back next year, and Boro expert Dominic Shaw said: "Definitely. A permanent deal would be the preference. Wilder is at Boro for the long-term and Ikpeazu doesn't feature in his plans, so there's nothing for Boro to gain from a loan. He's a popular figure on Teesside. The Boro fans took to him immediately and will wish him well regardless of where he ends up in the summer."
Bluebirds hoping for Wales action
Cardiff duo Rubin Colwill and Mark Harris will be hoping to play some part in Wales' crunch World Cup play-off semi-final against Austria tonight.
While Will Vaulks has been included in Rob Page's initial cohort, it is understood he, Joe Morrell and Ben Cabango are the three players who will be omitted from the matchday squad.
We will have all the build-up, live match action and reaction in our live blog, which can be found on our football page here. Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
Meanwhile, four other Bluebirds, George Ratcliffe, Oliver Denham, Eli King and Isaak Davies will be wanting to play their part in tomorrow's UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifying clash with Switzerland out in Lausanne.
Good luck to all Bluebirds involved!
