Blackburn Rovers in line to sign Cardiff City legend

Cardiff City will part ways with Peter Whittingham after his decade long career this summer.

The former England under-21 international has decided to link up with Blackburn Rovers, who will be plying their trade in the third tier of English football next season.

According to HITC Sport, the 32-year-old has turned down advances of a new contract at Cardiff, and this will see him pursue a Bosman move to Ewood Park as the end of this month. Whittingham has become a Bluebirds favourite since his arrival from Aston Villa back in 2007, but he is now eyeing a fresh challenge at a new club.

The experienced midfielder appeared as a second half substitute in the 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town in the final game of the campaign, and this may be last appearance in the club’s shirt following his decision to knock back a fresh contract.Speaking to BBC Sport, manager Neil Warnock admitted that he would like to keep the experienced campaigner, but respect the midfielder’s decision at the end of the day, he said: “If he could get two years – and his agent says one or two clubs are offering him that – then you can’t blame him.It’s up to Peter. I think he’d be better off with us. I’m not really looking to replace him.”

Whittingham was not a frequent starter for the Bluebirds during the previous Championship campaign, although he managed seven goals and eight assists in 37 league outings. The former Aston Villa man is the sole survivor from the Cardiff team which reached the FA Cup final in 2008, where they lost out to Portsmouth, who surprisingly are in League One.Blackburn have dwindled to a new low in their footballing history, and manager Tony Mowbray is eager to utilise the experience and creativity of Whittingham in order to return to the Championship in the first coming.