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Bellamy is off

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Liverpool and Cardiff are believed to have agreed on a free transfer, with Bellamy wishing to come home for personal reasons.

Asked if Bellamy would join the Bluebirds, Rodgers replied: “I would think so. I had a really good chat with Craig when I first arrived here.

“He is not one who can play every week, he is 33 and coming towards the final years of his career.

“He has made a massive commitment to come to Liverpool, to reside up here on his own.

“He enjoys playing for the club, but I believe that at the end of last season he had already made his decision.

“I obviously respect that.

“What is so important is a player’s happiness.

“Unless a player is happy you don’t get the maximum from them.

“Cardiff is probably where he will end up. If he does, we wish him the very best. He will still be a Liverpool supporter.

“It is not for football reasons that he is leaving, but for personal ones.

“I understand his thinking.

“He is 33 and has travelled around the country for his whole career, so there are compassionate reasons.

“We will look at it. But we will wish him the best and move forward.”

With two pre-season matches out of the way this week against Bournemouth and Barry, Mackay will put his energies into trying to resolve the complications standing in the way of the Bellamy deal.

The issues are thought to include how Bellamy is released from his £90,000-a-week Anfield contract and how much of that salary the Bluebirds’ Malaysian owners could afford.

Mackay does not believe he can tie up the move in time for Saturday’s friendly with Newcastle at Cardiff City Stadium, but expects Bellamy to be on board for
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Craig Bellamy is set to have a medical with Cardiff City today after agreeing to take “a substantial wage” cut to join his home-town club from Liverpool.

Bluebirds boss Malky Mackay confirmed he was in advanced talks over signing the Wales star and the deal could even be announced within the next 24hours.

Bellamy and his agent were in South Wales to finalise negotiations with Mackay last night, with today’s medical the last hurdle.

Impeccable sources tell us Bellamy has agreed to take what is dubbed the “substantial pay cut” because he is so keen to come home and play for City for personal reasons.

It is believed the Bluebirds are offering Bellamy £35,000 a week, just over a third of his £90,000 a week Anfield wage.

But they have also dangled the carrot of a £1m promotion bonus if Bellamy can fire the Bluebirds up into the Premier League.

If talks progress as well as City hope, they could even unveil Bellamy as their marquee signing of the summer as early as today.

He is scheduled to attend tonight’s official relaunch of the stadium as Cardiff City’s sole domain, with the Blues rugby side having left for the Arms Park.

Bellamy could also attend tomorrow’s glamour pre-season friendly with his old club Newcastle, where he would receive a rapturous ovation if introduced to the crowd.

There are no plans for Bellamy to play in that game, but he would lead City into battle in next Friday’s Championship opener with Huddersfield at Cardiff City Stadium.

Bluebirds boss Mackay, speaking for the first time about his bid to land the Wales ace, said the friendship he has built up with new Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has helped push through the move.

Liverpool have agreed to forgo a fee, while Bellamy has agreed to take the pay cut even though he still has a year to run on his Liverpool deal

Mackay’s move for Bellamy stepped up at the start of this week following Team GB’s exit from the Olympic football tournament.

“We’re in advanced talks with Liverpool and Craig,” said Mackay. “Brendan is a good friend of mine and he has been fantastic to deal with.

“It’s something we’re progressing at the moment and we’re hoping to have news in the next couple of days.”

Of Bellamy, Mackay continued: “We’ve known each other our whole careers. We were together many years ago at Norwich. He’s a proud person from the Cardiff area and he’s a top player, a top talent.”

Mackay also confirmed yesterday’s Echo revelation that Darcy Blake had rejected new terms with the club.

“We offered Darcy a contract extension and he’s turned that down, which he’s got the right to do.”
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£90K a week is a lot for a bit part player.

If Borini slots in nicely then we should be okay, although I'm certain there will be points this season when we wishing we could bring Bellemy off the bench.
 
I guess their fans are more upset about changing from blue kits to red.

The Bluebirds doesnt have the same meaning anymore...
 
Annoying.

I imagine he's a difficult person to handle if he doesn't get his own way so maybe it's for the best. Good luck to him.
 
Craig Bellamy has rejoined Cardiff City on a two-year deal, it has been confirmed.

The club favourite returns to the club from Liverpool after his earlier loan spell with the Bluebirds and said he will close his career in the capital.

He said he had no problem with playing in red and said he would play 'in pink' if he had to.

He also said Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers had made it clear he would fit into his plans but that he wanted to spend more time with his family in South Wales.

But he will not play against Newcastle on Saturday, with Bluebirds coach Malky Mackay saying he needed rest.

However, he will retain squad number 39 for the coming season and will join his team-mates next week ahead of the opening Championship match against Huddersfield Town.

Speaking this afternoon at the Cardiff City Stadium, Bellamy said: "It feels different this time. I am a Cardiff City player, last time I was on loan. Everything was up in the air last time. This is definitely permenant and it will be the last few seasons of my career.

"Brendan Rodgers wanted to give me as much time as possible to change my mind. He spoke to me as soon as he got the job. He saw me as the type of player who would fit into his teams.

"I missed my family at the end of last season. A lot went on off the field that made a huge effect on my life. I wanted to be home and wake up every day with my kids.

"There is more to life than football and it's important to me to be around my wife and kids and play for Cardiff City. I am honoured that the club owners and Malky wanted me here."

Speaking at the same press conference, Mackay said: "We had a chat last summer to catch up. Craig had just gone back to Manchester City. There was a lot of talk of him staying here but that was never going to happen at that point.

"We touched base and this summer his situation being that he was coming back to live here, we had the chat again and Craig has had a look at what has happened at the club and I was dogged in trying to make this happen. Liverpool Football Club have handled themselves brilliantly and Brendan has conducted himself in an excellent manner. It has been amicable for everyone.

"The reason Craig has been allowed to leave Liverpool is on compassionate grounds. It's rare a situation like that happens. It's rare people make sacrifices like Craig has. Mark Hudson remains club and team captain. Craig will not play against Newcastle because he needs a few days rest after the Oympics and he will be with the Wales squad next week."

Asked about City's shirt colour change, Bellamy said: "The red shirt is fine. I'm sure we would all want Cardiff to stay blue but football changes. As long as there is a Cardiff City Football Club in this city, all will be fine. I would wear pink if I had to. The life and soul of this football club is very important to me. I will be wearing a different colour and that's fine with me.

"I'm not sure if I would have finished playing football but I had made a decision that I was going to come home.

"I have lived away for five or six years and my kids are growing up quick and I felt I was missing a lot of that and I wanted to be part of that. To take my kids to school and pick them up is more important. Family should be most important to everyone. I should have paid a little more attention to that in my life.

"I want to try to be the best player I can be and play at the highest level I can. Unfortunately for Cardiff they have been in the lower division but the club is the strongest now it has been in my lifetime. Testing myself at the highest level has been a dream now it is balance I want. I know I have great people around me now and I am coming here a real healthy person."

He also suggested he was not ready to call time on his career with Wales.

"My ambition with Wales is to qualify for a tournament and I would give anything for that for the effect it would have on the nation and because it has been a long time. The Olympics was the most immense feeling of my career," he said.

"There are more important things to me than playing in the Premier League. I want to win every game I play in. Football has taken a lot from me and my family. When we lost to Reading I went missing for two weeks. I couldn't cope. I have had to face up to that and the fact there is more to life.

"Now if it's not going the right way, I won't torture myself or the people who I love the most.

"I haven't thought as far ahead as Cardiff City getting promoted. Every week is a different challenge. I like the team and the work ethic. It's a different one to the one I captained. They all work and are willing to give it their all and not leave anything in their body. I would be proud to be a part of that.

"It is more of a team now. There is also a lot of quality here. Whittingham is an exceptional player and is Mason. Conway I like as well. Whether that will be enough, let's see. I'm not going to put pressure on by saying we have to get promoted. We hope it's enough but if it isn't we'll go again. I want to win games of football.

"Expecting promotion is great. We shouldn't shy away from that. As players, it's up to us to be realistic. The season will balance out and the best three teams will go up. It's proven to be the case every year. If it's not us it won't be the end of the year.

"I was never interested in move anywhere else. The hardest thing for me was leaving Liverpool. I am a Liverpool fan and Kenny was great for me. I am a huge fan of Brendan and I think Liverpool will do great under him. But even that couldn't tempt me. It just wasn't going to happen for me. The supporters at Liverpool have been immense and the way they have been with me about this has been amazing. But my mind was made up. I am doing it for the right reasons.

"I am going to be committed to this. It's a hard job ahead but I am committed."
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It's very difficult to disagree with anything he's said there. I'm glad he's not in the premiership though!
 
For all the stick he's got throughout his career for being a bit of a twat, he really does seem like a genuinely great person. Good luck Craig.
 
Yeah, really gutted about him leaving but understand his reasons.
Great player who never should have been sold the last time he was here.

Good luck Craig! YNWA
 
That Warrior ambassadorship now looks good for Craig (and crap for Warrior). All to a good cause. Good luck, Bellars, YNWA!
 
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