Source: Daily_Mail
EXCLUSIVE: Stoke and Wolves lead the chase as Cardiff cash in on £10m pair
Cardiff have been forced to cash in on their two most prized assets, with Stoke leading the chase for Joe Ledley and Wolves primed to land striker Ross McCormack.
Sportsmail yesterday revealed how Swansea were paying the price for missing out on promotion by considering offers for Jordi Gomez and Jason Scotland.
And now their Welsh rivals find themselves in a similar situation.
Despite weekend reports that Ledley has refused all attempts to agree a new contract, it is understood Cardiff have reluctantly taken the decision to move him on after weighing up the financial implications of their last-day failure to make the play-offs.
'Joe is out of contract during the summer of 2010 and we can notallow ourselves to get into a position where he could walk away fromCardiff City at the end of next season,' said chairman Peter Ridsdale. 'Our offer is still open for us to sit down for talks on a new contract.'
There will be no shortage of offers, with Stoke ready to celebratesecuring sealing their future in the Barclays Premier League by lodginga third bid for the 22-year old Wales winger.
Manager Tony Pulis had offers of around £6.5million turned down last summer and in the January window, as Cardiff adopted the bold policy of keeping their squad intact, in the hope it would be good enough to carry them into the Premier League.
Ledley has only one year left on his current agreement, but interest in him is such, after another highly impressive campaign in the Championship, that Stoke are prepared to meet the asking price to recruit his attacking threat, on the left flank or in the centre of midfield.
Scottish marksman McCormack, also 22, finished the season as Cardiff's leading scorer and has attracted the attention of Wolves, Birmingham and Stoke.
Wolves look the favourites, though, after manager Mick McCarthy vowed to strengthen his Championship title-winning squad and was promised financial backing by chairman Steve Morgan. He is set to make a £3m offer.
Meanwhile, Cardiff are close to signing goalkeeper David Marshall from relegated Norwich City.
