Jay Bothroyd has hit top striking form this season with Cardiff

Boss Dave Jones remains hopeful that Jay Bothroyd will sign a new contract with Cardiff but hinted that they may have to become resigned to losing him.

The 28-year-old striker is one of the Championship's leading scorers with 13 goals this season.

But the newly capped England man is out of contract at the end of the season.

"We've lost players because we can't afford them and if other clubs can afford them then fine, we'll just have to find somebody else," Jones said.

Former Arsenal trainee Bothroyd was a £300,000 buy from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2008, having played for Coventry, Perugia and Charlton in a much-travelled career that includes loan spells at Blackburn and Stoke.

If the 6ft 2in target-man does not agree a new Cardiff deal by the end of January then the south Wales club risk losing Bothroyd for nothing at the end of the season.

But if the Bluebirds decide to cash in this month - with reported interest from Premier League sides Birmingham City, Fulham and Blackburn Rovers - it could undermine their bid to gain promotion to the top flight.

Despite a poor recent run of form that had seen Cardiff win once in seven games, they saw off promotion rivals Leeds United on Tuesday night to reclaim second place in the table.

"We're trying to build, I'm not trying to dismantle and we want Jay to stay and he is part of it here at the moment," Jones said.

"I haven't got a problem with Jay, none whatsoever. I'd like him to sign. If he doesn't want to sign that's his prerogative.

"I'm the only manager ever to offer him an extension to his contract, so that tells you something.

"We think a lot of him here but if he doesn't want to sign you're not going to force him to sign.

"If you throw stupid money at it... the club's been in that situation before and we can't do that just like anybody else."

Cardiff have already signed Preston North End striker Jon Parkin since the turn of the year, with Jones keen to strengthen further now Cardiff seem to have put their recent financial problems over unpaid tax bills behind them.

"You never say never in football because something might happen, something turns up the next day and it might be a better deal if any player here that we've got goes," Jones added.

"The only players we can't get rid of for whatever reason are the ones that are on loan.

"There'll always be speculation but we don't want anybody to go anywhere, but if it happens then you get on with it and you move on.

"It's not all about one person or two people, the football club will be here for a very, very long time.

"When I leave it'll still be here, when the players leave and so on - we could lose them tomorrow through injury like we've lost players.

"We've still got to put someone in the shirt and that's what football's all about."

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