Cardiff City hopeful of signing Chidera Ejuke after he suspends his contract with CSKA Moscow

ENGLISH Championship side Cardiff City are looking to step in to sign Super Eagles playmaker Chidera Ejuke after he decided to suspend his contract with CSKA Moscow as the Russian-Ukraine conflict shows no sign of abating.

Ejuke, 25, a mercurial dribbler, currently plies his trade in the Russian league and over the last few days, has decided to suspend his contract with his clubside. He has basically taken advantage of a recent amendment by Fifa, which allows players to unilaterally suspend their agreements until the conclusion of the upcoming season.

This amendment was introduced due to the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with players’ safety no longer guaranteed in the two countries. However, only those players who had previously utilised the Fifa amendment and had frozen their contracts are eligible to suspend their agreements.

CSKA Moscow still has the option to seek legal protection to safeguard their interests in this matter. This is not the first time Ejuke has taken advantage of such an opportunity, as he made a similar move last summer, which enabled him to spend the previous season at Hertha Berlin.

Unfortunately, his impact at Hertha Berlin was hindered by injuries, limiting his appearances to just 20 league games. Despite providing three assists, Ejuke’s efforts were not sufficient to prevent Hertha from being relegated from the Bundesliga.

With his contract at CSKA Moscow now suspended, Ejuke is free to explore temporary moves away from the Russian club. This development presents an exciting prospect for Cardiff City, as they have reportedly shown interest in securing Ejuke on a loan deal akin to his previous stint at Hertha Berlin.

Cardiff City, who narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season after reaching the Championship playoffs, will be hoping that Ejuke’s arrival can help propel them to success in the upcoming season. Ejuke’s contract with CSKA is set to expire in the summer of 2024, implying that he may have already played his last match for the Moscow giants.