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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Glen Williams

Cardiff City's stance on Charlie Austin revealed as second striker links emerge

Cardiff City's reported in interest in signing QPR striker Charlie Austin has been dismissed to WalesOnline.

Football League World claimed both the Bluebirds and Swansea City had already held talks with the 32-year-old, who's set to become a free agent when his contract in west London expires this summer. However, the same report claims the player himself is also pondering a potential move to MLS.

Sources at Cardiff, though, insist that Austin is not a player on their radar.

READ MORE: Gareth Bale's agent admits Cardiff move would have 'a lot of plusses' and money not a factor in exclusive interview

Morison will need at least a couple of strikers through the door in the off-season, though, given Jordan Hugill and Uche Ikpeazu have returned to Norwich City and Middlesbrough respectively, while Isaac Vassell will be released following the expiration of his contract. James Collins struggled during his maiden campaign, too, so quite what the future holds for him is still seemingly up in the air.

And reports have surface of Cardiff's potential interest in Rotherham striker Michael Smith, another player who is out of contract this summer. The 30-year-old scored 24 goals and registered seven assists for the League One champions this season.

Links with Smith, though, have not been batted away entirely. The player's contract is up next month and the Millers released their retained list on Tuesday, which detailed that the club were "in discussions" over a new deal with their main forward.

It is understood that Smith has a couple of offers from other clubs in front of him and is weighing up his options before committing to his next move. Cardiff are not out of the running entirely at this stage, though.

Smith was a target for Cardiff last summer, however it was felt that the club couldn't have both him and James Collins, along with Kieffer Moore, and Mick McCarthy had opted for the Republic of Ireland international.

The landscape is different this time around, though, and Smith, who has more than 100 league goals across League Two, League One and the Championship, might just appeal to City, who are in need of a regular goalscorer next term.

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