Cardiff boss Malky Mackay hopeful over Tom Ince signing

Manager Malky Mackay is hopeful that he can persuade Blackpool midfielder Tom Ince to join Cardiff City.

Blackpool have accepted Cardiff's bid, thought to be £8m, for the 21-year-old but his manager and father, Paul, says the ultimate decision is with his son.

Swansea City are also interested, but have been put off by the asking price.

"Thomas has been on holiday... it won't be long until we get the chance to sit down with him and his family," Mackay said.

"He's a very exciting young talent in the game at the moment."

Cardiff have so far signed Denmark striker Andreas Cornelius from FC Copenhagen for a club record £7.5m as they prepare for their first season in the Premier League.

But Mackay is eager to bring in another marquee signing in the shape of Ince and the manager hopes his vision of life as a Bluebird will persuade the England Under-21 international to head for south Wales.

"I know him pretty well in terms of the last couple of years in the Championship," Mackay said.

"It's always the player's decision; clubs can accept bids from anyone but at the end of the day it's always the player's decision.

"What you have got to do is get the chance to talk to them and for that to happen the club have to accept your offers.

"If I'm able to sit down... [I can] talk to them about the vision we've got here and the way we've structured the club and the massive benefits that I see in coming to Cardiff City.

"A really thriving club, a thriving community, a lovely city, a great fan base and great facilities and a team that I'm proud of that did really well last year.

"That's the sort of thing we take into consideration."

Ince, who came through Liverpool's ranks, is one of the most sought-after players in the Championship having established himself as a goal-scoring midfielder at Bloomfield Road, scoring 18 times in 49 appearances last season.

Swansea chairman, Huw Jenkins, confirmed he was one of their transfer targets, but added that they have been put off by the "staggering" price demanded.

Reading failed with an offer for Ince in January, while he had been expected to return to Liverpool during the January transfer window before a disagreement over his value saw negotiations stall.

The Reds will receive funds upon any move Ince makes due to a substantial sell-on clause agreed when he moved to Blackpool in 2011.