Here's your round-up of all the latest Cardiff City news for Tuesday, July 12.
Bale bats away Cardiff talk
Gareth Bale has batted away questions over just how close he came to joining hometown club Cardiff City this summer.
Bale has signed a one-year deal with MLS side LAFC, and could make his debut against Nashville next week, but his arrival stateside arrived on the back of a summer of intense speculation.
After bringing a trophy-laden nine-year stint at Real Madrid to an end at the end of the season, Bale was tipped to complete a sensational move to the Bluebirds this summer, with Cardiff emerging as a genuine option for his signature.
READ MORE: Gareth Bale hopes to play for Wales at 2026 World Cup as he blows apart retirement talk
However, with the World Cup in Qatar clearly at the forefront of his mind, Bale eventually opted for a move to California, and is already loving life at his new home.
Bale was unveiled to LAFC fans ahead of the derby clash with LA Galaxy recently, and he used his first press conference as an LA player to insist that he has no intention of walking away from Wales after the upcoming World Cup. You can read more about that here.
But while Cardiff fans will likely be pleased to see Bale commit to his international future, there will likely be a tinge of sadness among some fans that a fairytale move never materialised.
When asked by Sky Sports just how close he came to signing for the Bluebirds, Bale said: "I had options. I'm obviously not going to go into details but for me this felt like the right place.
"I'm excited to be a part of this project."
When pushed again on whether Cardiff was an option, Bale continued: "I think at one point we were just weighing up all the options and straight away this felt right.
"It felt like the place I wanted to be in and it felt like a place where I could maybe play football for longer and try to aim to play as long as I can."
Ramsey wants PL move after rejecting giants
Former Cardiff star Aaron Ramsey has rejected a move to Galatasaray - and wants to head back to the Premier League.
Reports in Italy state the Turkish giants tabled an offer for the Welshman, who has returned to Juventus training after a loan spell with Rangers last season.
His time in Turin appears to be over, with the Bluebirds still favourites with bookmakers to re-sign the ex-Arsenal man.
But in rejecting Galatasaray he reportedly revealed he wants a return to the Premier League.
Matondo completes Rangers move
Former Cardiff City winger Rabbi Matondo has completed a move to Rangers.
The 21-year-old has put pen to paper on a four-year deal at Ibrox after signing for an undisclosed fee, which WalesOnline understand to be around £2.5m.
Speaking after signing his deal, the Wales international said: “I am absolutely buzzing to have signed for a club as big as Rangers.
“I am just looking forward to getting on the pitch at Ibrox in front of the amazing fans we have here at Rangers and I am excited.
“This is a big club with a massive history, and I just want to create more memories and more history here at the club.”
Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst added: “I’m really pleased to welcome Rabbi to Rangers. I spoke last week about my desire to add more attacking quality to my squad, and we all believe Rabbi will do that.
“He will bring many strong attributes to the team, and I am really looking forward to seeing him in training this afternoon for the first time."
Bluebirds set for second friendly
Steve Morison will get another chance to run the rule over his new signings tonight when the Bluebirds face Newport County in their second game of pre-season.
They ran out 3-2 winners over Cambridge United last Saturday but suffered an injury blow when debutant Ebou Adams went off just minutes into his first City start with a shoulder complaint.
He is unlikely to feature against the Exiles tonight but you can stay up to speed in what happens in that match by following our live blog, which you can find here.
Under-23s schedule announced
Cardiff Under-23s' schedule for pre-season has been announced.
They four trips on the road in July - with Carmarthen Town, Hereford FC, Chippenham Town and Stoke City Under-23s the opponents.
Fixtures in full:
- Carmarthen Town vs. Cardiff City U23 - Richmond Park, 15/07/2022, 7:30pm KO.
- Hereford FC vs. Cardiff City U23 - Edgar Street, 24/07/2022, 1pm KO.
- Chippenham Town vs. Cardiff City U23 - Hardenhuish Park, 27/07/2022, 7:30pm KO.
- Stoke City U23 vs. Cardiff City U23 - 30/07/2022, 1pm KO.
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