Charlton Athletic join Huddersfield Town in race for Cardiff City man | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town are set to compete for the signing of a Cardiff City player this January

Charlton Athletic are set to join the race with Huddersfield Town to sign Kion Etete from Cardiff City this January.

According to Darren Witcoop, the striker is attracting interest from League One, as he looks to get back to playing regularly.

Etete has not played a single minute so far this season due to a hamstring injury sustained during the summer, but it is believed he is close to returning to full fitness.

The 23-year-old made 28 appearances for the Bluebirds in the previous campaign, including 12 starts, having been with the Championship side since 2022.

Kion Etete transfer latest

It was originally reported by Football Insider in December that Etete was garnering interest from Huddersfield ahead of the winter market.

Charlton are now set to add their name to the list of admirers with the winter market now open until 3 February.

Etete’s deal is set to expire this summer following the conclusion of the season, meaning Cardiff are at risk of losing him for nothing at the end of June.

Given that context, it could lead to the Welsh outfit cashing in on the forward this January in order to raise funds from his sale, rather than seeing him depart as a free agent.

His fitness will remain a question mark for the time being, with his last appearance coming 10 months ago in a 1-0 win over Bristol City.

Etete has managed six goals and one assist from 56 appearances in the Championship for Cardiff since joining in the summer of 2022 from Tottenham Hotspur.

Charlton and Huddersfield’s League One ambitions

Charlton and Huddersfield are both targeting promotion to the Championship this season, so will be looking to bolster their attacking options to aid that goal.

Michael Duff's side are inside the play-off places, sitting fourth in the League One table after 22 games.

Meanwhile, the London outfit are 11th, six points adrift of sixth place Barnsley, albeit Nathan Jones' team have two games in hand.

Both clubs have until 3 February to find an agreement with Cardiff over a potential move for Etete.

Etete’s fitness could be raise some transfer concerns

Etete has been out of action all season with a hamstring injury, meaning there will be some reservation over his signature this month.

While he is likely to be available at a relatively affordable cost due to his contract situation, Huddersfield and Charlton will want some guarantees over his recovery.

Cardiff may need to give him some minutes in the first team this month in order to prove that he is back to full health and ready to attack the second half of the campaign.