With preparations already well underway at Cardiff City for their imminent return to the Championship in August, manager Neil Warnock may be about to say goodbye to Josh Murphy, just 12 months after signing him.
According to Football Insider, Schalke are reportedly lining up a £10m bid for the winger as boss David Wagner looks to bolster his attacking options ahead of his first season in charge of the Bundesliga side.
If this is indeed true, it will be intriguing to see whether Warnock is willing to let Murphy leave as it is fair to say that he has not lived up to expectations since joining the Bluebirds from Norwich City.
Keeping this in mind, here are three reasons why we think the 24-year-old's potential departure wouldn't be the worst news for Cardiff...
He looked devoid of confidence at times last season
Signed for a fee believed to be in the region of £11m by Cardiff in 2018, it was hoped that Murphy would play a major role in helping the club secure their Premier League status.
However, despite showing glimmers of what he is capable of against the likes of Fulham and West Ham United, the England under-21 international ultimately struggled to cope with the pace that the top-flight is famed for.
Having looked devoid of confidence at times last season, there is no guarantee that a drop down in level will result in Murphy producing the goods for the Bluebirds and therefore it may be beneficial for Warnock to cash in on him this summer.
He has struggled for consistency in the Championship before
Although there is no disputing that Murphy possesses a great deal of talent, the fact that he struggled for consistency in the Championship before should act as a warning sign for Cardiff.
With just 16 goals to his name in this particular division from 123 appearances, he is hardly prolific and thus may not be able to provide the answer to the Bluebirds' attacking issues next season.
Cardiff could use the money gained from his sale to re-invest
Given that in the form of Junior Hoilett and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Cardiff already have players who arguably have a better pedigree at Championship level than Murphy, selling him to Schalke may be the right call for Warnock to make.
By moving the winger on, the 70-year-old could use the funds recuperated to re-invest in his squad which is in desperate need of an overhaul following a gruelling Premier League campaign.
If he can get his recruitment spot on between now and August, there is no reason why Warnock cannot go on to achieve success in the Championship next season with the Bluebirds.