DAVID CUFFLEY Norwich City transfer target Gavin Rae has signed for one of their Championship rivals - after manager Peter Grant admitted they were not prepared to meet his wage demands.

DAVID CUFFLEY

Norwich City transfer target Gavin Rae has signed for one of their Championship rivals - after manager Peter Grant admitted they were not prepared to meet his wage demands.

Cardiff City announced the double signing of Rangers midfielder Rae, who has won seven caps for Scotland, and Sheffield Wednesday centre-forward Steve MacLean over the weekend.

The 29-year-old Rae, who played under City assistant boss Jim Duffy at Dundee, had also spoken to the Canaries.

He was available on a Bosman free transfer, but Grant said they had withdrawn their interest because they were unwill-ing to pay what he was asking for.

Said Grant: “I knew there was a possibility Cardiff were going to sign him. We had an opportunity to speak to him but I felt the financial side was way above where we were willing to go.

“He was one of the players we were looking at, a Bosman free who was brought to our attention. But there was no way I was going to go anywhere near what they are paying.”

City may have been swayed by the fact that Rae had started just 24 senior games in 3½ years with Rangers.

Bluebirds chairman Peter Ridsdale said he was thrilled with their double capture.

He said: “We are absolutely delighted to sign Gavin and Steve.

“We faced stiff competition from a number of other clubs who also wanted to sign these two players.

“That they have chosen to come to Cardiff City instead makes it a very exciting time for us.

“When Barry Ferguson doesn't play for Rangers, Rae is the captain. That shows the esteem in which he is held up in Scotland.”

Cardiff have already signed Plymouth full-back Tony Capaldi, another player linked with the Canaries at the end of last season.

Grant, however, said he was still very confident of adding new faces to his squad, though not necessarily as quickly as he would like.

He said: “By the end of this week I'm hoping for one or two answers from one or two people.

“It's always the case that things don't go as quickly as I would like, but I'm very hopeful that by the start of the season we'll have another two or three new players.”

t Former City striker Chris Sutton, in whom Grant has expressed an interest, could make a decision about his future this week. Sutton, 33, who lives in North Norfolk, has been sidelined with an eye injury since December and is understood to have been advised by doctors to retire, but is due to hold talks with Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill this week over whether to have one more season at Villa Park.