Cardiff City are targeting Manchester City midfielder Tommy Doyle this month, according to reports by Mail Online.
The Bluebirds are among many Championship sides who are keen on the midfielder after the 20-year-old asked for his loan spell at German side Hamburg to be cut short after making only six appearances.
As per the report, Doyle is said to be wanting more game time to develop his development after making small cameos for the Citizens’ first team in the last two seasons.
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A host of clubs in the Championship have shown interest in the midfielder, but the Mail Online state that Steve Morison’s side are fending off competition to secure the deal.
Doyle’s problems in Germany
Doyle joined the German side after making his UEFA Champions League debut for Pep Guardiola’s side last season. But for Tim Walter’s side, he has managed only 71 minutes across six games.
Hamburg sit third in Bundesliga 2, only six points behind leaders St. Pauli. Doyle has struggled to replace any of the midfielders at the club, with Dutch midfielder Ludovit Reis scoring three goals this season.
Game time has been hard for Doyle to secure, with all of his seven league outings all off the bench – only twice has he played for more than 15 minutes.
Added depth in Cardiff’s midfield
After experiencing a torrid time at the start of the season, Morison’s side have picked up their form recently – despite having two games postponed during the Christmas period.
A 3-4-3 has often been deployed by Morison, with Joe Ralls and Marlon Pack utilised in midfield. Will Vaulks has made 19 appearances himself in Cardiff’s midfield.
However, all three are 28 or over, meaning the Bluebirds are currently lacking the legs of a box-to-box midfielder and Doyle could be the perfect fit for that role.
Morison’s pursuit of Doyle could well work in both parties favour this month. A deal for Doyle could be ideal in his development in following in the footsteps of Cole Palmer at City, whilst the quality of the midfielder could be the difference in steering Cardiff away from a relegation battle.
