McAteer features: 2 Cardiff City deals that will push August 30th transfer deadline | OneFootball

The Bluebirds will be working until the 11th hour on the final day of the transfer window.

Highlights

Cardiff City have a lot of work to do if they want to achieve their goals this season.

The ambition for the Bluebirds for this upcoming season is to push for a play-off place. Had they been able to continue their form from the first half of the season, they may have been able to reach that goal last time out.

At one point, it looked like Erol Bulut, the man who guided them away from relegation fodder and into the top half of the table, was going to leave this summer, but he has since committed his future to the club and stated that he won't be happy until they reach the highest levels, as per Wales Online.

The Turkish boss has previously outlined his plans for the summer window, on the recruitment side, with a couple of strikers, a winger, a centre-back and a midfielder being the named positions to be targeted, as per Paul Abbandonato.

They've added some good experience so far in the form of Chris Willock and Callum Chambers, but more still needs to be done to build a play-off contender. That will involve retaining players and bringing in new ones.

These are two City transfer scenarios that are likely to occupy the minds of the club's higher-ups right until the end of the window, as they look to put together a top-six-worthy team.

Kasey McAteer

The Bluebirds look as if they are going to try and benefit from the financial problems of reigning Championship titleholders Leicester City. Abbandonato has said that Cardiff have held talks with the Foxes about Kasey McAteer.

The interest in the young winger isn't just coming from South Wales though. Other clubs are expected to be involved in the chase for him, as per Abbandonato.

McAteer would obviously fill Bulut's desire to add another wide option to his ranks, although Willock can be used in these positions too.

The 22-year-old's 2023/24 campaign was heavily affected by injuries. He missed out on playing in almost all of December, part of January and about two months worth of action between the end of February and the end of April.

The talent is very much there though. He scored six goals in his 23 appearances for City last season. There will certainly be a battle among clubs to get him if he's made available, and it's one that the Bluebirds could be working on for a lot of the summer.

Andy Rinomhota

According to Darren Witcoop, there is an expectation among those at Cardiff that Andy Rinomhota will leave the club this summer. The former journalist added that the 27-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Rotherham United, is being looked at by Birmingham City, as well as other teams who are said to be interested in him.

It's pretty clear, based on the boss' decision to allow Rinomhota to join a league rival, that he's not a part of Bulut's plans going forward. However, there hasn't been any obvious movement on the departure front since Witcoop's initial report.

He's now into the final year of his current deal, so Cardiff should be even more keen to offload him if they don't see him being with them long-term. But, with a lack of teams fighting for his signature, there's a chance that they may have to sell him later in the window for a reduced price, so they don't increase the risk of losing him for nothing.