Cardiff City and West Brom in transfer tug of war for Fenerbahçe striker | OneFootball

A number of Championship clubs will be battling for the play-off spots in the second half of the season, and it's likely that only two are going to be up for grabs.

West Bromwich Albion are one of those and as they currently sit in fifth position in the second tier standings, the Baggies stand a good chance of finishing inside the top six.

They could be joined by one of many clubs though, with one of those being Cardiff City, who are showing promising signs in manager Erol Bulut's first season in charge in the Welsh capital.

The Bluebirds and the Baggies look set to go to battle in the January transfer window though for the same player as they look to bolster their attacking units.

According to reputable Turkish reporter Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, Cardiff and West Brom are both interested in signing out of favour Fenerbahçe striker Umut Nayir.

The 30-year-old is a Türkiye international with four caps to his name, with his debut coming in March 2023 and a first goal arriving a few months later against Wales.

It was his form for Ümraniyespor last season though in Türkiye's top flight led to his acquisition by Fenerbahçe after netting 17 times in 31 appearances in the Super Lig, but he hasn't had the same fortune at one of his countries top clubs in 2023-24.

Nayir, who stands at 6 ft 3 in and is a physical presence at the top end of the pitch, has appeared 12 times in all competitions for Fenerbahçe during the current campaign, but none of those have been starts in any competition at all.

Yet to score for his new club, Nayir is behind Edin Dzeko and Michy Batshuayi in the pecking order at the Sükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, and that could lead to his eventual exit from the club this month.

It isn't a shock to see Cardiff in the running for Nayir, given Bulut is Turkish and has managed much of his career in the Super Lig.

Bulut has already brought Manolis Siopis and Dimitrios Goutas to the Cardiff City Stadium from Turkish clubs, but this time he could actually bring a player from his home nation in to bolster his strike force.

Nayir clearly knows where the back of the net is on the strength of last season's form forÜmraniyespor, and he would especially provide a physical threat in the opposition box - he could be the alternative to Kieffer Moore who is now attracting interest from other clubs.

And Nayir may be more of a need for Cardiff than the Baggies, who have now welcomed back USA international Daryl Dike from a long-term achilles injury to add to Brandon Thomas-Asante and, when fit, Josh Maja.

That is a pretty dangerous three to choose from for Carlos Corberan, but with Dike's worrying fitness record it isn't a shock that Nayir is being looked at - he may suit Cardiff better though out of the two clubs.