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#1
Cardiff City's longest-serving player Joe Ralls has been offered a new contract by the Championship club, who have released eight players.

Wales international Will Vaulks has been released, along with Leandro Bacuna, Isaac Vassell, Ciaron Brown and Josh Murphy.

Alex Smithies, Aden Flint and Marlon Pack had already said they would leave.

Captain Sean Morrison will continue his rehabilitation from a long-term knee injury at the club.

Morrison, 31, has not played since February when he was carried off during a game at Barnsley after which manager Steve Morison said he expected the centre-back to be sidelined for nine months.

Morrison arrived in south Wales in a £3m deal from Reading in 2014 and went on to make 295 appearances, including 34 in the Premier League.

Ralls has made 308 appearances since joining the club as a teenager in 2011,

The duo are the last players left at the club who featured in Cardiff's promotion to the Premier League under Neil Warnock in 2018.

Bale move to Cardiff City would 'make sense' - Wales boss Page
Bacuna and Murphy also featured in the top flight under Warnock, though the former has not played since receiving a red card - and criticism from boss Morison - against Bournemouth in December 2021.

The 28-year-old Vaulks, capped seven times, but omitted from the Wales squad for June's international fixtures, leaves after three years at Cardiff.

He featured regularly in 2021-22 and made 117 Cardiff appearances in total, scoring 11 goals.

Murphy, an £11m signing from Norwich in 2018, leaves after 99 appearances, having spent the past season on loan at Preston.
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#2
Former captain Sean Morrison has left Cardiff City after over eight years with the club.

Morrison has not played since suffering a serious knee injury in a win at Barnsley in February 2022.

The 31-year-old was on a return-to-play contract and had continued to train with the Bluebirds this season.

"No amount of words will be ever be enough to tell you what this Club means and will always mean to me," said Morrison.

"The last eight and a half years have been filled with some of the most incredible moments and memories."

Morrison made 295 appearances for Cardiff, and was instrumental in helping the club back to the Premier League in 2018.

"To every staff member and player I've ever had the joy of working with, thank you, you've made me a better person and I've treasured every moment," he added.

"To the most incredible fans, my biggest thank you is to you. You are the heartbeat of Cardiff City."

The centre-back hopes to continue his playing career elsewhere.

Sean Morrison in action against Arsenal in the Premier League in September 2018
Sean Morrison in action against Arsenal in the Premier League in September 2018
Morrison joined Cardiff on August 2014 from Reading following the departure of Steven Caulker after the Bluebirds' first relegation from the Premier League.

During his time with the Bluebirds, Morrison scored 33 goals from defence, including seven in their promotion-winning season of 2017-18.

Two of those goals came in the penultimate game of the season at Hull City, as Morrison's brace put the Bluebirds in pole position to return to the top flight.

Cardiff City chairman Mehmet Dalman said: "Few clubs will be fortunate enough to have a captain with the qualities of Sean for such a sustained and largely successful period of time.

"Today is etched with sadness as we say farewell, but also an opportunity for us to look back with great fondness on Sean's time with us and what he achieved."

Cardiff manager Mark Hudson, who also led the Bluebirds to promotion to the Premier League back in 2013, paid tribute to Morrison.

Hudson said: "He has been a huge influence. A leader on and off the pitch. He created some amazing environments in the dressing room for players to come into.

"He has always been welcoming to everyone around the club - fans, players and staff. I want to say thank you to him and wish him all the very best going forward."

Hudson added he felt Morrison's playing days had not ended.

"I think he can get black up to speed. It was a huge injury at a disappointing time in his career," he said.

"I have told him he can get fitter and stronger and he will have many years playing the game
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