Cardiff City manager Mick McCarthy has said there has been a striking lack of interest in forward Kieffer Moore this summer, in an interview with the BBC.

After joining from then-stricken side Wigan Athletic for a cut-price deal last summer, reportedly joining the Bluebirds for £2m in the middle of August, the Welshman scored 20 Championship goals in 42 appearances last season and established himself as a leading talisman in the second tier.

Not only was he lethal in front of goal, but his aerial ability and strength up top allowed the Welshman to bring others like last season's loanee Harry Wilson into play - and has proved to be a key cog in McCarthy's machine at the Cardiff City Stadium.

This scintillating form persuaded Wales manager Rob Page to call him up for this year's European Championships and although they exited the competition in the round of 16, Moore had a magnificent individual tournament as a regular starter and even grabbed himself in their opening group game against Switzerland.

With two years remaining on his current deal in the Welsh capital, clubs would have to fork out a substantial fee to lure the 28-year-old away from his home nation. But despite this, Cardiff boss McCarthy is surprised there hasn't been a great deal of interest for his star player's services.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "I don't want any interest in him at all, the only interest I want is from us.

"We all want him to stay. Look, the way he played last season, I am a bit surprised somebody's not had any interest in him but we'd want a lot of money for him so maybe that's putting people off.

"I see (Sam) Surridge going from Bournemouth for £6m …what does that make Kieffer with the performances he's had in the last two seasons and the goals he's scored? It makes him a valuable asset."

The Verdict:

In the interview, McCarthy also stated how 'delighted' he was about the prospect of keeping Moore beyond the summer and so he should be.

The expiration of Harry Wilson's loan deal at the Cardiff City Stadium and subsequent move to Fulham will be a blow for the Bluebirds, but it could have been so much worse if their top goalscorer had generated a considerable amount of interest over the past couple of months.

However, they would be wise to return to the negotiating table shortly and extend his deal by a year or two, because his value will only depreciate as he approaches the final year of his current contract.

Retaining him in this window will be their short-term priority for the moment though - and if they can do this - he could lead his side into a potential battle for the playoffs next term.

They finished eighth last season, so there is no reason why they can't set this goal.