Cardiff City update emerges regarding 28-year-old | OneFootball

Cardiff City midfielder Joe Ralls will not take part in Bluebirds pre-season training whilst contract talks are at an impasse, it has been claimed.

As per WalesOnline, the club’s pre-season is set to get underway on Wednesday, but the 28-year-old will not be there despite being contracted to the club until the end of the month.

In their 2021/22 retained list announcement earlier this month, Cardiff confirmed that they had offered Ralls a new deal ahead of the summer, but it seems that that deal is not satisfactory.

WalesOnline report that the Bluebirds feel that things are firmly in Ralls’ hands at this point, with the offer said to be the best they can offer.

That offer would reportedly make Ralls the highest paid player at the club.

WalesOnline, though, state that sources close to the 28-year-old have indicated that money is not a factor in the midfielder’s decision making over his next move.

Can you remember how much Cardiff City paid for these 22 summer signings?

1 of 22

Kieffer Moore?

£1.98m £2.98m £3.98m £4.98m

Instead, it is more about the footballing project, with the midfielder said to have wanted to take his time over the decision and see what sort of squad Cardiff were assembling ahead of next season, and how he would fit into Steve Morison’s plans.

Ralls made 29 Championship appearances for the Bluebirds in 2021/22, scoring a single goal and registering six assists.

Throughout his time in the Welsh capital, the 28-year-old has made 308 appearances in total for the club, with 63 direct goal contributions (32 goals, 31 assists) to his name.

The Verdict

It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Joe Ralls will remain in Cardiff for next season.

It is now just ten days until the end of the month when his contract expires, and given that he was made the offer months ago, he has had plenty of time to make his decision.

Cardiff are not going to go in with an improved offer in the coming days, but if the footballing project is Ralls’ priority in deciding his next steps, perhaps that would not make a difference anyway.

It will certainly be interesting to see where Ralls ends up should he depart the Welsh capital this summer.