Tukish star Mehmet ‘cNed’ İpek is reportedly in the final stages of discussions to join NAVI according to a report from Dot Esports.
cNed, along with a few other members of Acend, were allowed to explore their options during the 2023 offseason. The 2021 Valorant Champions winner has been attached to reports before of him almost leaving Acend, but it looks like this may be the time that the Turkish sniper finally leaves the team he rose to international prominence on.
NAVI reportedly is signing four players and the head coach of the FunPlus Phoenix team that just placed fourth at Valorant Champions and won Masters Copenhagen. Ardis ‘ardiis’ Svarenieks reportedly will look for offers elsewhere and NAVI may have found his replacement in cNed.
Acend did not make the cut to get into the Riot Games’ patterned leagues, but did put out a statement saying they would still compete in Valorant.
cNed looking for a rebound on NAVI
After making two international tournaments in 2021, and winning the world championships, cNed and Acend hit a wall in 2022. The team did not qualify for any international events this year and saw multiple roster moves.
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cNed himself did not have a bad season statistically and maintained his superstar status throughout the year. The Turkish teenager was previously linked to his hometown organization BBL Esports, which also made the cut into the international leagues.
Organizations still have time to sign players and staff as the deadline is October 15 and according to reports, NAVI only need to sign a general manager and one more player to round out their 2023 roster.
Fans can see cNed and the new NAVI roster make their debut on the international stage in February at the Kickoff tournament.