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Tom Coleman

The Cardiff City players facing their last game in a Bluebirds shirt as seven in limbo

Cardiff City, having secured Championship survival, are facing another summer of potential mass upheaval.

Sabri Lamouchi has delivered on his brief to keep the Bluebirds away from the relegation trapdoor and, judging by recent comments made by Mehmet Dalman, there appears to be some enthusiasm within the corridors of power in the capital for keeping the Frenchman on board for next term.

Lamouchi too has indicated he's open to staying. But, at the time of writing, the situation remains largely unresolved.

Until there's a breakthrough, there remains something of a question mark over Cardiff's blueprint for next season, and Lamouchi's position isn't the only cause for uncertainty.

READ MORE: Vincent Tan will never sell Cardiff City back to Sam Hammam, club chairman Mehmet Dalman tells Supporters' Trust

Indeed, the future of several first-team players also appears unclear.

After dazzling Cardiff fans with his goalscoring exploits, perhaps the most pressing example is striker Sory Kaba.

Despite only joining the club at the end of the January transfer window, Kaba is set to end the season as the club's top scorer, having netted eight goals, including a goal-of-the-season contender in the win over Watford.

After seeing their team struggle for goals before the 27-year-old's arrival, many Cardiff fans will be desperate to see his stay extended.

Lamouchi claims Kaba is keen to stay, but with noises from Denmark seemingly casting doubt on a second loan spell, and with Cardiff unable to splash out for any transfer fees due to the terms of their current transfer embargo, it's tricky to see how a deal gets done. That's before you get onto the obvious point that there will surely be many other suitors taking an interest.

Cedric Kipre is another loanee Lamouchi might feel is in the same boat. The decision to allow him to leave for the capital will go down as one of several baffling calls made by former West Bromwich Albion boss Steve Bruce, such has been the standard of his performances for City.

His masterful showing in the 2-1 win over Rotherham United, a victory that effectively clinched survival, was another prominent reminder of his importance to this Cardiff team, and Lamouchi would clearly be keen on the opportunity to work together again next season.

However, it seems current Baggies boss Carlos Corberan is also a keen admirer of the defender. Back in March, he appeared to leave the door open to Kipre having a future at The Hawthorns.

"He is one player who I like when I have faced him, I saw a very good defender when I played against him," he said.

Again, with Cardiff currently lacking any sort of financial muscle, it's tricky to see how a return materialises, unless Corberan sanctions another loan.

Tying down Jaden Philogene could also be difficult, despite a meaningful breakthrough at Aston Villa still looking unlikely. A host of clubs in Europe, including Union Berlin, Anderlecht and RC Lens, have recently been credited with an interest in the forward, who's been a big hit in a Cardiff shirt this season.

Should any of them firm up any admiring glances, it would surely place any return to the capital in doubt, particularly given that European football could well be on the table.

It's not just loanees who could well be facing the prospect of a departure, either.

Connor Wickham's short-term deal in the capital is also drawing to a close, while Mark Harris, Gavin Whyte and Joel Bagan are, as things stand, set to become free agents this summer, and there are some big decisions to be made on all of them.

There will be a few fans who perhaps feel there is a case for each of them of them to stay, but none have really managed to make a meaningful mark under Lamouchi.

Harris was asked last month by WalesOnline about what the future might hold, with the Wales international seemingly keen to play down any talk until the task at hand was completed.

When asked about possible contract talks, he said: "I'm sure there will be a time and a place to talk about that. But it's probably not the best time to talk about it at the minute. Nothing's been said or sorted yet."

With survival now confirmed, it remains to be seen whether conversations over his, and others, will now take place.

READ NEXT

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