Steve Morison has said that signing Gareth Bale is an "absolute no-brainer", but conceded that the Real Madrid star would have to make the first move if that was ever to become an eventuality.
The Bluebirds have been linked with the Wales captain largely due to the fact that Cardiff is his hometown club. Cardiff, though, is a million miles away, figuratively speaking, to the riches of the Bernabeu and any deal would have to be forced through by the 32-year-old.
Indeed, chairman Mehmet Dalman last week said the Bluebirds would be "willing listeners" if Bale decided that a return to his Cardiff home was the best thing for him this summer. Wales could hopefully be gearing up for a World Cup this summer, provided they beat either of Ukraine or Scotland in the play-off final, and if that is the case, well, maybe Bale pushing through a return to Wales might not be as outlandish as it first seems.
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But Morison echoed the thoughts of Dalman when asked by WalesOnline about the situation with Bale. He said his signing would provide a massive boost to the club, however it would have to be initiated by the player's camp.
"Who wouldn't be? Is there anyone who wouldn't be a willing listener?!" he laughed.
"I'm not going to go and get Gareth Bale's number and ring him and say, 'Oh, by the way, do you want to come and join Cardiff?'
"It's an absolute no-brainer. It would be great. It would be a great boost for everybody. But if it did happen, he would have to come and be part of the change. He would have to come and fit in and buy into it.
"I'm sure if anything like that was going to happen then me and him would have a chat because there would be a lot to talk about. One of them would be making sure [the press] don't find out about it!"
Morison has ramped up excitement pertaining to Cardiff's summer transfer plans. It promises to be a barmy off-season, but one which will hopefully set Cardiff on a better track to the one they've been travelling on over the last 12 months.
"Nothing is sorted," he said of transfers. "We are doing really good work. We have deals that are done but we can’t do anything with them until June 10. We just keep working. We are in negotiations with people here.
"Everyone has been told if they are getting contracts or not. Everything is pretty clear. We all know where we are going, what direction we are going in and it is a work in progress. Let's get a good result tomorrow and finish the season with everyone having a smile on their faces and everyone excited to see what's going to happen moving forward as much as we are."
Morison will be selling a project to prospective signings this summer. He wants an overhaul of culture and playing staff ahead of next season, which is what he alluded to when asked about Bale "buying into it".
But the manager said in no uncertain terms that he is ready for the challenge ahead and wants to use this summer as a golden opportunity to get fans excited about their club again.
"The whole thing is exciting," he added. "The project, being a part of something. I’ve said from day dot, if it’s about money then we are not the place for you. We are still paying very good money, by the way, for the job you love doing.
"It’s fresh, a new culture, new environment, even the training ground is better. We have an extra training pitch so there are no excuses every day. We make the best of the training ground. It’s something exciting to be a part of.
"They announced in the week a new kit, everything will be new and fresh. Next season we start on July 30, do we want to hit the ground running? Yes. We will make sure we do everything in our power to do that. Apart from Fulham, you don’t often end the season in the position you started it in. It’s going to be a process.
"As long as everyone can see there is progress and we are performing well, winning games of football. It’s a 46-game season, we work through it. We will have a lot of new players. You look at a lot of our players, this is their first season. I expect them to be a lot better next season due to this season.
"It won’t be a quick fix overnight, but hopefully we can heal a lot of wounds very quickly."
