After a poor first half of the 2024–25 Championship campaign that left Omer Riza’s team mired in a relegation struggle, the Bluebirds are rumored to be looking for more striking alternatives this month.
Following their first away win of the season at Watford on December 29, Cardiff has drawn both Middlesbrough and Coventry City in recent games, leaving them undefeated in their last three games. However, other results have left them in 23rd place, tied with Portsmouth in 21st place.
They can ill-afford to suffer relegation to English football’s third-tier, and the club’s third relegation dogfight in four seasons is likely to necessitate quick additions to Riza’s squad in the coming weeks.
Cardiff has contacted the League One team about Jones’ services, but it’s unclear if Peterborough will accept the offer at this time.
Cardiff has been struggling at the top end of the field because they currently lack enough attacking players.
After serving the first game of a three-match suspension away at Middlesbrough for his controversial dismissal against Coventry, top scorer Callum Robinson will miss the team’s next two games against Sheffield United and Watford.
Cardiff is also negotiating an early termination of Wilfried Kanga’s loan from Hertha Berlin, as the Ivorian forward has yet to score in 15 appearances.
With Kion Etete and Isaak Davies both still sidelined from respective long-term hamstring injuries picked up in pre-season, Cardiff need reinforcements and are clearly intent on conducting their business early.
It’s understood that Jones has emerged as a target following some eye-catching form for Peterborough over the last two seasons. Jones’ contract expires at the end of the season but Posh will be able to collect a fee for the striker due to his age, which will eventually be decided at a tribunal unless he pens fresh terms between now and the conclusion of the campaign.
The 22-year-old has scored 12 times in 30 matches across all competitions this term, after finding the back of the net on 13 occasions last time out.
Jones is also known to be extremely quick, having gained a reputation as the fastest player in League One, and has previously clocked up a 100m time of 10.9 – less than 1.4 seconds slower than Usain Bolt’s 100m record.
Jones’ form in 2023/24 prompted interest from second-tier promotion hopefuls Sheffield United, who had reportedly agreed a deal which was scuppered due to the club’s ongoing takeover – which has since been completed.
It’s not yet clear just how much Cardiff are willing to offer for the forward’s services or whether it comes close to the region required for Peterborough to give consideration, but what we do know is that he’s not going to come cheap.
Peterborough have an excellent record at developing EFL talent – forwards in particular, as the likes of Ivan Toney, Dwight Gayle, Britt Assombalonga and Sammie Szmodics can testify for – and chairman Darragh MacAnthony is known to drive a hard bargain for his side’s prized assets.
MacAnthony previously admitted that six clubs in total tried to purchase Jones prior to the start of the season, and declared the Posh attacker as a striker “everyone wants to buy in January”. MacAnthony predicted Peterborough could sell Jones for even more than hotshot winger Kwame Poku, who has emerged among the most outstanding players in League One this season.
In November, he told the Peterborough Telegraph: “It’s lift off time for Ricky.
“Ricky has added regular goals to his game and he will be a striker everyone wants to buy in January. A club agreed to buy him in the summer, but their takeover didn’t go through on time and now his price has gone up.
