Cardiff City land Man City midfielder days before Championship opener against Sunderland

Cardiff City have continued adding to their squad just days before they host Sunderland in the opening game of the Championship season.

The Bluebirds have already added four new faces to their ranks during the summer transfer window after taking Hertha Berlin striker Wilfried Kanga on loan and securing the free transfer additions of Aston Villa defender Callum Chambers, Mainz winger Anwar El Ghazi and Queens Park Rangers star Chris Willock.

A fifth new arrival was finalised on Wednesday afternoon when Manchester City midfielder Alex Robertson put pen to paper on a four-year contract after Cardiff agreed an undisclosed fee with the reigning Premier League champions. The two-times capped Australia international has spent time on loan at Scottish club Ross County and Championship newcomers Portsmouth in recent years, scoring one goal and providing four assists in 27 appearances in all competitions for the latter in their successful push for the League One title last season. With a permanent switch away from City now secured, Robertson has been backed to ‘show what a talent he is’ by Bluebirds boss Erol Bulut.

He told the club website: “We're delighted Alex is here. There were six other Clubs that were in for him, which shows what a talent he is. We had a meeting 10 days ago and explained our goals for the Club and for Alex. Our hopes and plans were aligned. Alex can deliver a lot. He's got quality. He’s technically very good with a great work rate and can add to what we already have. We now have a great mix of youth and experience in the midfield.”

Leeds United target opens up on future

Leeds United’s bid to add to their midfield ranks have reportedly led the Whites to make a move for Koln star Dejan Ljubicic.

The Austrian is currently in the final 12 months of his current deal with the German club and was reportedly the subject of an unsuccessful £3.3m bid from the Whites earlier in the summer. The Yorkshire Evening Post have reported Ljubicic is ‘certainly on the radar’ of the Elland Road outfit and will have watched on as the 26-year-old provided an assist in his side’s Bundesliga II defeat against Hamburg on Friday night. As his current employers look to bounce back from the disappointment of suffering relegation into the second tier of the German game, Ljubicic has opened up on his own performances and rumours suggesting he could leave Koln before the summer transfer window comes to a close later this month.

In an interview with 90Minuten, the midfielder assessed last season and the transfer speculation that has dominated his summer, saying: “There were a few personal issues that weren’t easy for me. Because of that, I lost interest in football, was often ill and couldn’t get into the rhythm. At times I played two or three games. After that I was absent for a longer period because my immune system wasn’t up to it. So I just want to put the last year behind me and look forward. Rumours are part of football. But I don’t concern myself with them. I’m here in Cologne, where I want to perform well again. I want to show people that ‘Dejan is playing good, powerful football again’, which is what has distinguished me in recent years.”