Neil Warnock is intent on making Kenneth Zohore and Sol Bamba key players in his Cardiff City team for 2017-18.
The Bluebirds manager is delighted with the form of both players and sees them as crucial in his plans to rebuild the squad.
They will be in Cardiff’s team for Saturday’s Championship home match against Birmingham City which is expected to attract an attendance of up to 25,000 thanks to cut-price ticket offers.
Danish striker Zohore, 23, has netted seven goals in eight Championship fixtures, but Warnock says City won’t listen to bid for the striker.
“All clubs will look at strikers – but we won’t be selling him,” says Warnock. ““If I’m to have any chance next season, he won’t be going anywhere.
“You can never say never – if someone came in £20m you can’t say no and I’d even sell Sol Bamba for that who has been just as important.
“But I’m not under pressure to sell and I don’t think Vincent would want to sell him for a minute because he wants to do well next season.
“We all do and they know what I’ve done for him. I don’t think the player would do as well for other managers because sometimes it’s better the devil you know.
“He’s got a lease of life that might not have been possible a few months ago and I think he understands my contribution to that. He needs me as much as I need him at the minute.”
Zohore is in the junior Denmark squad for two friendlies at the end of the month, but Warnock has said he will contact the Danish FA and ask for him to be treated gently.
“From a selfish point of view, I didn’t realise about him getting called up by the Under-21s,” said Warnock. “But I might have to get hold of somebody because we planned for him to have a rest over the international break after all these games he’s had.
“You can only ask. It might be different if it was the full team – and these are friendly games. I hope with it being a first call up and a late call-up they will listen.
“Because we’d planned all along in his training for him to have a breather having played all those games. It’s thrown a spanner in the spokes.”
Warnock will be bringing in a number of new signings next season including a goalkeeper.
Allan McGregor, who is on loan from Hull, won’t be staying after the end of this season because his wages are too high at a time when City need to cut costs.
McGregor’s Premier League salary rules out any deal for him to stay and Warnock said: “I could have four keepers on Allan’s wages!”
Cardiff’s transfer budget is not affected by the club’s £9.5m loss in their latest accounts, but Warnock says: “We’ve got to get value for money now.
“That’s why I’ve got to do my sums correctly to bring the players in, even players that I might pay money for has got to be in a responsible way.
“In the past couple of years it looks to me like there’s not been a lot of thought gone into quite a few (players) on the financial side.
“I think we’ve overpaid really on a lot when I look at the structure at the minute and we’ve got to just bring that down a little bit.
“We’ve got to handle it better and get more value for money. I think the gravy train has finished at Cardiff now or it will do while I’m here.
“You’ll always get players on more than somebody else because your better players will always warrant that.
“But what we’ve got to make sure is that we’ve got a squad on similar wages all fighting for the same thing.
“I’m aware at the end of next season that the parachute payments have all gone as well so it’s going to be a big 12 months for us really.
“I’d like to think that while I’m here I can put the club back on an even keel really and get value for money.
“I’d like the owners to be happy, the fans to be happy and the players to be happy.”
A Cardiff City win would lift them to 50 points for the season and Warnock says: “We have to get to that mark as soon as we can and then look at younger lads, one or two lads in different positions.
“I want to clear my mind out, it’s how we can improve and use these games as a base for next season.
“I haven’t made my mind up with some players so they are playing for their futures.”
Saturday’s visitors Birmingham have won only twice in 15 league games since Italian manager Gianfranco Zola took charge.