Ramsey keen to stay at Cardiff beyond this season

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey says he wants to stay at Cardiff City beyond his current contract at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old midfielder has just returned from a hamstring injury which kept him out of action since September.

He has made only 11 Championship starts since re-joining the club on a free transfer in July 2023, but Ramsey is thinking about his long-term future with the Bluebirds.

"I've come back to play my part," he said. "Obviously, I've had two big injuries which is unfortunate but you have to accept these things sometimes.

"I'm just determined to get back and help this team as much as possible.

"I've come back to try and help this team achieve something special again by getting back to the Premier League which I believe this club is more than capable of achieving.

"Hopefully in the not too distant future we'll have that opportunity to do that together."

Ramsey signed a two-year contract on his return to Cardiff, a deal which expires at the end of this season.

So far, no talks over his future have happened and Ramsey is "calm" about the situation.

"There was a lot of things that needed to be addressed with the current players," he added.

"My situation is different, I'm calm about it. I just want to finish the season strong and help this team stay in the league and we can focus on next season then."

When directly asked if his preference would be to extend his stay at the Bluebirds, he said: "Of course, I've come back for that reason.

"There's a lot to look forward to next year as well. Of course, I want to play my part and help this team."

'It's about getting him playing'

Aaron Ramsey played for Arsenal, Juventus and Nice between his two spells at Cardiff

Since his return from injury, Ramsey has made one start in the FA Cup and one substitute appearance in the Championship.

He and manager Omer Riza say he is ready to start games, but the Cardiff boss is reluctant to look too far ahead with his most high-profile player.

"I think at the minute with Aaron, it's always been about whether he's going to be able to maintain his fitness to be able to play the amount of games that he needs to play in order to be able to help the club climb and get into the Premier League," said Riza.

"He's had his injuries so I think he would admit himself he's not been happy at the fact he's had limited game time.

"He's not been able to produce the levels that he knows he can because of these factors. I just think it's one step at a time at the moment with Aaron.

"It's about him being fit, it's about him getting playing, it's about him enjoying and us getting the best out of him and using him in a way that allows us to get the best out of the team and get results.

"I really want to start talking about where it is, where it might go and what it holds for him in the future because at the minute, Aaron might get to the end of the season and have a totally different idea.

"Also, the club might feel that's not the route that they want to go.

"I think at the minute, we all just have to be honest and open and say that the main goal is to keep Aaron fit and keep him involved with the first team and playing.

"Then, we can all sit down and talk about that further down the line."

Injury problems

Ramsey's second spell at Cardiff has been blighted by injuries.

Last season he was out for five months with a knee problem, while this season he has not started a game since suffering a hamstring problem playing for Wales against Montenegro in September.

"It's been a tough few months," Ramsey added. "I'm just happy to be back to be fair.

"I had a bit of a setback, I maybe tried to come back a little bit too soon and that set me back a little bit longer but it was just about making sure I was right when I did come back.

"I've had two decent sized injuries since I've been here, which has been very frustrating, and I missed two decent chunks of the season so it's been very frustrating on that front.

"I really wanted to come back and help this club to try and achieve getting back up into the Premier League and things like that and play my part and experience playing here week in, week out.

"But things don't always pan out but I'm hoping to have a strong end to the season and help this team as much as I can."