Cardiff City told to issue £5m transfer demand as interest emerges in "controversial" player | OneFootball

Football League World's Cardiff City fan pundit discussed the future of gifted playmaker Rubin Colwill, who has interest from the Championship

Cardiff City will be anticipating a number of exits in the coming weeks and months following relegation to League One.

A clutch of senior players are approaching the conclusions of their respective contracts, such as Joe Ralls, Aaron Ramsey, Yakou Meite and Andy Rinomhota.

Meanwhile, the likes of Alex Robertson, Cian Ashford and, of course, Yousef Salech, who has scored nine goals from 22 appearances following his arrival from Swedish side Sirius back in January, could all garner significant interest elsewhere throughout the summer window.

The Bluebirds are believed to have had the Championship's seventh-highest wage bill in the 2024/25 campaign, of which they finished bottom of the league table, and will need to reduce that amid the notable drop in revenue which accompanies relegation.

Cardiff will hope, however, that they are not forced into sanctioning a sale for academy product Rubin Colwill. The mercurial playmaker has clocked up 154 appearances for his boyhood club at the age of 23 after debuting back in 2021, with 48 of those alone coming in the most recent campaign where he featured in all but three of the club's second-tier encounters.

A maverick talent, Colwill divides opinion more than any other player in the Welsh capital. The attacking midfielder has long been tipped for an exciting future and Cardiff, for some time, had been urged to build the team around his talents, although initial promising form under ex-boss Omer Riza last year eventually fizzled out and his inconsistency became a recurring theme as the season went on.

It's no secret, mind you, that Colwill has always had admirers elsewhere. Last summer, both Ipswich Town and Arsenal were linked with Colwill, and then-Southampton boss Russell Martin left little to the imagination as far as his own admiration for the Cardiff midfielder following a starring display in an EFL Cup tie last August.

It has now emerged, via reporter Pete O'Rourke, that a number of Championship clubs are plotting moves for Colwill and are "actively" trying to find out Cardiff's valuation. For the time being, at least, it remains unclear exactly who these clubs are.

Cardiff City urged to refuse any Rubin Colwill transfer offers under £5 million

FLW asked our resident Bluebirds fan pundit, Matt Hall, how much he would be happy to sell Colwill for and whether he believes it is inevitable that the 9-cap Welsh international will leave this summer.

Matt, who is one of Colwill's staunchest backers among the City fanbase, believes that he may be content with staying put, and that Cardiff should not bother listening to any offers under the £5 million mark.

Colwill is under contract at Cardiff until the summer of 2027, meaning the Bluebirds should be able to drive a hard bargain for his services.

"I don't think it's inevitable that he leaves in the summer," Matt told FLW.

"I think sales are inevitable in some way and there are obviously some players who will naturally leave, we have been relegated. But I think there will be others that will be out the door first.

"I think there's going to be a lot of ambition to get us straight back up and Rubin is one of those players who won't kick up a fuss about not getting a move, he will happily stay at his boyhood club and we have plenty of years left on his deal.

"What sort of price tag we could have is a massive thing, I haven't got a clue what money we'd be asking for or what clubs would be offering. Personally, I wouldn't look at anything under £5 million - it wouldn't be worth our time - and we would definitely need a sell-on [clause].

"It doesn't surprise me that people would want him.

"I think the answer is I wouldn't be happy if we sold him, there are other players I would want to see out the door first. We should save a lot of wages on players leaving on a free, and Callum Robinson and other players that aren't so committed but still have value to them should leave first.

"He's someone we should try and build around if we can. I think Alex Robertson is someone who will be touted [for a move], I'd rather see him leave before Colwill.

"But he is a very controversial figure in his inconsistencies, he causes a lot of debate. I think if you asked 50 Cardiff fans, you would get 25 different answers.

"The biggest plus that Rubin has to his game is his unique ability, really. He's such a unique profile of a player that, if we were to sell him, there is no chance we could replace him like-for-like.

"It just wouldn't be possible, there is nobody out there like him."

2025/26 League One season could be make or break for Rubin Colwill at Cardiff City

Should Colwill remain at the Cardiff City Stadium beyond this summer's transfer window, there is little denying that the 2025/26 season could be a make-or-break campaign.

At 23, Colwill has accumulated a wealth of experience and has often shown tantalising glimpses of the X-Factor ability everybody knows he has, but Cardiff ought to start seeing that on a more consistent basis and the end product also requires improvement if he is to reach his lofty potential.

A full season starring and playing regularly in a winning League One side could be the perfect remedy, allowing Colwill to generate uplift, confidence and consistency. That's what the plan would be, anyway.

Now, though, following a mixed campaign marked by inconsistency, Colwill is approaching a crucial juncture of his career and much will be expected of him if he is still a Cardiff player come September.

There is, of course, a widely-held school of thought among the most prudent backers in Colwill's corner that a move elsewhere to a more stable, structured and progressive environment, in a more competitive team with a higher level of coaching and nurture, is exactly what the player needs to truly unleash and unlock his potential, and it will be interesting to see which clubs fancy their chances of being able to get the very best out of the maverick.