Football Club

Striker Michael Chopra

Cardiff City striker Michael Chopra says he may leave the cash-strapped club if they do not make any signings before the start of the season.

In a newspaper interview, Chopra, 26, spoke of his frustration that the Bluebirds are under a transfer embargo.

He added that Cardiff will struggle this season unless those at boardroom level sort out the club’s finances.

“I’ve got big ambitions and standards, my ambition is to play at the highest level,” Chopra told BBC Sport Wales.

“I wanted that to be at Cardiff City which is why I said what I said [in the newspaper],” added the former Newcastle and Sunderland front man, in reference to the strong ‘quit threat’ that appeared in the Western Mail on Friday .

“It was a case of showing my disappointment at the club not bringing any players in.

“Every season you hope things are going to get better, so to start the season with a transfer embargo on the club is disappointing.

“I love the city and love the area, that’s why I’ve come to Cardiff three times.

“I hope that the manager will be able to bring players in, it’s down to the people who run the club to sort it all out.”

Ex-Cardiff captain Joe Ledley has also been critical of the running of the club since his move to Celtic earlier this month.

Chopra, who scored 21 goals last season after a club-record £4m move last summer, is in his third stint in south Wales.

He scored 22 goals during the 2006/7 campaign before a £5m move to Sunderland, where he scored six goals in 33 Premier League appearances.

The former England Under-21 striker was linked with a move to Ipswich last month, the Tractor Boys believed to have had a £3m bid rejected.

New Cardiff City chief executive Gethin Jenkins insisted that the club “did not need to sell”.

Speaking after Chopra’s latest statement, Jenkins said: “We’re aware of [Chopra's] comments, as we said before we’re endeavouring to meet the challenges that we face to get the business back on a sensible financial and business footing.

“We’re working hard to get through the transfer embargo… We’re working very hard to try and recruit players.”

Earlier this month, Cardiff City said the club had paid off a month of the £1.9m tax bill it owes to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

However, the transfer embargo imposed by the Football League still remains as the club has yet to lodge year-end accounts for May 2009.

Cardiff received a £6m investment in May from a Malaysian consortium headed by Dato Chan Tien Ghee, who succeeded Peter Ridsdale as chairman.

The club has estimated debts of £30m and faced their fifth winding-up order to settle the tax bill on 16 June, before it was eventually withdrawn after the debt was paid.

Around half of that debt is owed to Langston Corporation whose representative is Sam Hammam, the former Cardiff City owner.

This week, Motherwell demanded immediate payment of a “substantial debt” owed by Cardiff City for the transfer of defender Paul Quinn.

Also this week, Bluebirds manager Dave Jones was linked with the vacant position at Fulham – although Cardiff say no approach has been made.

“[Jones] hasn’t mentioned anything to us [about the Fulham job],” said Chopra. “He’s been his usual self in training.

“He’s obviously a good manager. He’s been linked with Premier clubs because he’s been so good at Cardiff.”