Town target Michael Chopra says he is “well hacked off” with the situation at Cardiff City and could quit the crisis club. The Blues are understood to have been chasing the former Sunderland frontman all summer.
Cardiff’s finances appear to have improved little despite a takeover by a Malaysian consortium at the end of last season. They are still to entirely pay an outstanding PAYE tax debt and are subject to a transfer embargo having failed to pay £500,000 due to Charlton for defender Mark Hudson.
Yesterday, SPL side Motherwell revealed that a second payment of £100,000 for right-back Paul Quinn has also not been paid. Cardiff have renegotiated when they will pay Sunderland £1.5 million owed on last summer's £3 million Chopra deal, while the club has requested that players defer their bonuses and appearance fees during the ongoing crisis.
To make matters worse, manager Dave Jones has been linked with the Fulham job, although Cardiff have denied that an approach has been made.
Chopra says he is becoming increasingly fed up with what appears to be a worsening situation: "I’m well hacked off. If this club does not bring in new players, I’m off.
"I’ve had a enough of this. Nothing is moving with just a couple of weeks to go before the new season.
"I can see that we will struggle this season if people at board level don’t get real and sort this matter out soon.”
The one-time Newcastle trainee says the Malaysian consortium had promised investment which would take the Bluebirds into the Premier League, but so far there is little sign that this will be forthcoming: "I was under the impression that the new board were coming in and spending money to take this club to the next level.
"But I don’t see that in any shape or form and it's very frustrating for me and the players who want to do well for this club next season.
"I’m happy playing for Cardiff, but I’ll be off if this continues. I’m ambitious and I want this club to meet those ambitions. If they can’t, what’s the point?"
Town boss Roy Keane is a long-time admirer of Chopra, who played for him at Sunderland, and the Blues are understood to have made a number of offers - reportedly of up to £4 million - to the Bluebirds for the 26-year-old over the course of the summer, but with a fee yet to be agreed.