Bolton Wanderers have emerged as the Premier League club chasing Town central defender Gareth McAuley. Yesterday, TWTD revealed that an unnamed top flight side had joined SPL champions Rangers in targeting the 30-year-old Northern Ireland international.

McAuley, reportedly rated at around the £2 million mark, was named Town’s Player of the Year this season after a shaky start to the campaign, forming a central defensive partnership with Damien Delaney in the latter months.

The Blues would be unlikely to resist a significant bid for their ex-skipper with boss Roy Keane appearing pleased but never entirely satisfied with his central defensive pairing.

Bolton are looking for central defensive additions with Gary Cahill expected to join one of the Premier League's bigger guns in the close season.

McAuley, who is contracted to the Blues until June 2011, joined Town from Leicester City in 2008 for £1.1 million, having previously been with Lincoln City.

Elsewhere, former loanee Liam Rosenior has been banned from driving for six months, fined £2,500 and ordered to pay costs of £85, having pleaded guilty to using a motor vehicle without third party insurance and driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence earlier this week.

Photo: Action Images

naa added 16:29 - May 12 Look, the point here is (as others have mentioned) RK has said he already wants 5 new players. The last thing we need is to start losing the players we actually need at the club. The money is utterly worthless if you can't replace them satisfactorily. If he wants 5 now that becomes 6, plus he'll still have a load of deadwood. I agree that any player would want to better themselves and McAuley may go regardless, but anyone who thinks that would be OK or even good business is deluded.

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tommyblue added 16:59 - May 12 sell him
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acblu1104 added 17:19 - May 12 i can see where people are coming from with 'dont sell the spine of the team' but McA is not irreplaceable and 2 mil for a 30 y/o isnt bad money. bring in a central defensive leader to replace him, in the de vos mould (not sure if they'll be easy to find though) and this would also help the more inexperienced defenders.
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RetroBlue added 17:21 - May 12 I think if Bolton make a serious bid for McA - we will be unlikely to hold onto him tbh. Why should he stay with mid table Fizzy league side, when he can have a shot at the Premier ? I wouldnt even blame him for going .....
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itfc1981 added 17:37 - May 12 Selling him would make as much economic sense as taking £6 billion out of the economy straight away!
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Blueknight85 added 17:39 - May 12 On an unrelated note im suprised we have not be media linked with nacho Novo he is Pablo Counago except he can score goals.... and he is out of contract at Rangers
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Mark added 17:40 - May 12 I don't think we should sell McAuley, an experienced international and Championship centre back who has just been voted our player-of-the-season for £2M. His partnership with Delaney was one of the few positives of the season. What are the chances of Keane spending £2M wisely to replace him? We'll probably end up with another expensive flop. "RK has always said any player is available for sale " - that hardly comes out of the management motivation handbook, does it? We all know it is a reality, but it's better to make the players feel wanted in my opinion to boost their confidence and morale.

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Wickets added 17:41 - May 12 It would be very difficult to turn down 2mill, as he has only a year left, sides like Town must be able to recoup some of the outlay on players bought in. He could of course be offered an extended contract if Keano is serious about keeping him. What is a worry is how long is it going to take for the new players we hope to sign plus replacements for players that we are forced to sell, to settle in. Could be half a new team come August.

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mjw_1983 added 17:55 - May 12 swap with novo from rangers please
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tractaboy added 17:58 - May 12 Can't see the point in dismantling one of the few positives we have at the club at the moment. 4 million for Walters i could easily live with but i thought we were supposed to be building a team. Guess it's only paper talk at the minute and there'll be a lot more to come.
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buryblue77 added 18:25 - May 12 Signing new players is not as easy as some think on here. If we could easily find a replacement then so be it, but what's the point in selling one half of an established central defence pairing, only to have to replace him with another and it would take £1.5 - 2.5m to get a player of a good enough quality to replace him, so if the figure is correct, there is no significant fincial benefit in selling him, possibly no benefit at all as it could cost more than we bring in. Keep him, he's an integral part of the team and I'm sure his erratic early season form was down to the psychological effect of losing his captaincy, he's settled now and should be able to take that form into next season.

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Blueknight85 added 18:39 - May 12 He wont be much good to us next year if we prevent him having a premier league chance after recieving a good bid....he will be off form all season and unhappy. MJW_1983 i beleive Novo is out of contract so we would not need to swap them Novo would be free lol
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IvorTheEngine added 18:49 - May 12 sell the donkey for a £5 QUID
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Mungo added 19:19 - May 12 Trueblue91 - Good shout. £2m + Shittu is the least we should consider for our best defender, but personally I would rather keep McAuley. Pointless unneccessary changes cost us badly last year, and unless there is a real reason for selling GM, I would advocate keeping.
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Bergholtblue added 19:45 - May 12 Any player worth his salt wants to play in the Premiership. Mac is 30 and he won't have many more chances to play at that level. Whether the club wants to sell him or not may not come into it. If Bolton are interested, he may want away and RK would not stop in his way.
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chapmanp added 19:47 - May 12 Sell him. And if he goes to Bolton then lump on them to get relegated next season. He is an average Championship centre half.
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Suffolktractor added 20:20 - May 12 Ridiculous idea to sell him. A few weeks ago our strongest positions in the team were right-back and centre-half. If this goes ahead, Keano will then need a new full-back a new centre-half, a left midfielder, a creative central midfielder as he doesn't rate Garvan and at least one if not two strikers. Who has he been linked with so far? A goalkeeper!!
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slowerball added 20:41 - May 12 Did someone say "we have Bruce to come back"? I do hope not - he is shocking. Maybe RK will take a punt on Smith or Eastman alongside Delaney? Let's face it, if Bolton offer £2m plus - he'll go. His wages will double if not more, you can't blame the player. I would'nt sell him - but its not up to me!
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Blueknight85 added 20:47 - May 12 LOL thats Laughable suffolktractor David wright was stable at RB yes but that doesnt mean he was good enough to build a team around
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jas0999 added 20:48 - May 12 I was one of Gareth's biggest critics at the start of the season but gladly admitted I was wrong. It would be a shame to see him go. At least with Wickham the del is unlikely to be out of Roy's hands. I would get shot of Walters, but keep Gareth. However, the club will have to weigh up the finances - he only has one year left on his current deal remember ...
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slowerball added 20:55 - May 12 Agree with Blueknight85... to some degree. I thought David Wright was and is poor. And I have been consistent in that opinion - and of my opinion about Bruce - who is very poor. I will fully back any Ipswich side but we have had a number of players not fit to wear the shirt I'm afraid... We need to be shipping out those not good enough. There will be money and the wage bill will be cut, with folks going, being released, sold, declared missing presumed dead. Our best chance of going up is next season - look at the teams coming down. All have big, big money worries, despite their parachute payments. Portsmouth will sell anyone and everyone - Hull need to sell big time and Burnley are skint despite being in the Prem (had that from a very good source...). A year on and a year wiser. With better players coming in, I'm sure we can go up.

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bluechick added 22:43 - May 12 we should not stand in his way of a final fling at premiership riches. if £2m comes our way (are they serious) we should throw a party.
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Blueknight85 added 22:48 - May 12 Alex bruce gave away a penalty that let cardif equalise and get extra time/penaltys even when loaned out he is screwing us over we cant have cardif getting promoted if we want a chance of buying Chopra lol
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bennyblue added 23:02 - May 12 bolton ! thats some sh-teheap town near sunderland isnt it ? anyone whos fool enough to move up there has probably got a couple of kangaroos loose in the top paddock i wouldnt live there if i was being paid 2 mill a year same with sunderland why dont they just bulldoze these places and plant some trees there ?
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kerryblue added 23:53 - May 12 £2 million,Id bite their hand off for that for him,cant see Bolton taking him but a move to Rangers would suit him down to the ground.Leave him off up to join the comanchies of the spl hes just about got the qualityfor that level.Maybe he would take dodgey dickey with him .
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