Cardiff City only have two senior central strikers with contracts running beyond the end of the season in the Welsh capital.

The Bluebirds are heading into a difficult financial climate and towards their first season without receiving parachute payments next term.

Steve Morison has integrated a host of younger players into the first team this season as the club appear to be changing direction in how they will operate in the transfer market.

The Bluebirds will continue to look for bargains in the lower tiers of the EFL and that approach will give them plenty of options in the summer window.

They picked up Max Watters from Crawley Town in January 2021, and the 22-year-old and, out of favour, James Collins are the two frontmen with deals running beyond the end of the season.

With Norwich City suffering relegation from the Premier League, they may want to keep Jordan Hugill in the first team picture next season and it remains unclear whether Morison will want to pursue a permanent move for Uche Ikpeazu, currently on loan from Middlesbrough.

Plymouth Argyle's Ryan Hardie could fit the profile of what Cardiff are looking for this summer.

The 25-year-old has had by far the most prolific season of his career at Home Park, and his combination play could attract interest from a team like Cardiff.

Youthful attackers like Mark Harris, Isaak Davies, Rubin Colwill and Max Watters have all looked more comfortable playing behind a main frontman, and Hardie's presence at the top of the pitch could aid the development of the former quartet.

 

 

The 25-year-old enters the final year of his contract with the Pilgrims next season, and he has played in a front two all season under both Ryan Lowe and Steven Schumacher.

Hardie scored 17 goals in all competitions for Plymouth and missed the closing exchanges of the season through injury, of which saw the club agonisingly drop out of the play-off places on the final day of the campaign.

Without the budget of seasons gone by, the club need to be smarter operators to avoid flirting with the Championship relegation conversation next season, and Morison could do a lot worse than bringing in Hardie to lead the line alongside the exciting upcoming crop.