Valorant star cNed could be going back to his roots amid VCT rostermania

NAVI Valorant player Mehmet ‘cNed’ İpek could be playing for a Turkish team next year, according to local reports.

With the Valorant transfer window already in full swing across the world, one of EMEA’s biggest names could be close to finding a new home. cNed, a former Valorant world champion, is trying out for FUT Esports, according to Esporkolik.

If the move comes to fruition, it will mark cNed’s return to his roots. He began his Valorant career on BBL Esports, a Turkish organization, before going international. In 2021, he made history as part of the Acend team that won the game’s first world championship, in Berlin.

He stayed on Acend for another year before joining NAVI, linking up with the core of the former FunPlus Phoenix squad. Despite the hype around the move, the team failed to generate the kind of success that many expected as NAVI placed 3rd-4th at VCT LOCK//IN, 11th-12th at VCT Masters Tokyo, and 9th-12th at Valorant Champions 2023.

Weeks after the world championship in Los Angeles, it was reported that cNed was not in NAVI’s plans for 2024. The Ukrainian organization is understood to be close to signing NRG’s Ardis ‘ardiis’ Svarenieks, who has even been removed from the VCT contract database.

cNed reportedly trying out for FUT Esports

FUT Esports was one of the surprise packages of the 2023 VCT season. The Turkish team exceeded all expectations and qualified for VCT Masters Tokyo and Valorant Champions, even reaching the playoffs at the latter.

Earlier this month, FUT parted ways with Serhat ‘Muj’ Yüksel and Buğra ‘mojj’ Kiraz, bringing their roster to four players. The arrival of cNed would likely spell the end of Konur ‘qw1’ Şahin’s time with FUT, with the 21-year-old hinting at a fresh challenge on September 15 as he posted on X/Twitter: “To good new paths”.

Keep track of all the changes in the Valorant scene with our off-season rostermania tracker.