Warnock travels to Malaysia meeting

NEIL Warnock has flown out to Malaysia to meet Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan for budget talks, as the club await decisions on crucial contracts and transfers.

The pair met this week to map out the summer ahead and identify key transfer targets.

The Bluebirds are expecting to announce next week whether Junior Hoilett and Aron Gunnarsson have signed new deals, with the club’s retained list to be revealed too. Greg Halford, Ibrahim Meite and Brian Murphy are among those expected to be released.

Warnock, who accepts his budget will be limited this summer, has been satisfied with the talks and owner Tan is understood to be happy with the Yorkshireman’s planned recruitment.

There is also a suggestion Nathaniel Mendez-Laing will be offered an extended deal (his current contract expires in June 2019), though it is thought Cardiff’s reported interest in Sunderland midfielder Didier Ndong will not result in a formal bid.

The Cardiff boss wants five or six players to supplement his current squad and is set to once again utilise the loan and free transfer market.

The likes of Salomon Rondon – linked with the Bluebirds in media reports – could be out of reach because of budget restraints.

Tan is keen to avoid a repeat of the summer of 2013 when the Bluebirds spent big fees on unproven foreign stars in the Premier League, such as Andreas Cornelius and Gary Medel, and paid generous wages – only for Cardiff’s relegation in May 2014 to prompt financial problems.

This time Warnock wants mainly British-based experienced players with the aim of defying the odds and keeping Cardiff in the top flight.

Bookmakers have given oddson prices for the Bluebirds to be relegated, with fellow promoted sides Wolves and Fulham given a far better chance of staying afloat.

And Fulham owner Shahid Khan believes City will have to make changes to survive.

“We have seen the teams that have got promoted,” he said in an interview with the Times.

“Wolves were the best team in the Championship. Cardiff, they play 19th-century football and will have to make changes if they want to stay up.

“We are looking not to mess with the style and chemistry of our team.”

“But we are not just going to scrape by, we want to get better. This is the time to have the productive discussion about who is available.”