Town are reported to have held talks with released Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker. The 27-year-old left Villa at the end of last season having spent four years with the Midlanders.

Reo-Coker was born in Thornton Heath and started his career with the old Wimbledon, making his senior debut in the 2002/03 season. His displays for the Dons impressed West Ham who signed him for £500,000 in January 2004.

After three and a half not always happy years at Upton Park, during which time he captained the side under Alan Pardew, the former England U21 skipper joined Aston Villa for £8.5 million in July 2007 having asked for a transfer.

Reo-Coker’s Villa career looked to be serious jeopardy in 2009 when he was involved in a training ground bust-up with manager Martin O’Neill, but he was restored to the side under Gerard Houllier and was even captain for a while after regular skipper Stiliyan Petrov picked up a knock. However, with his contract up this summer, he was released at the end of the campaign.

Capped 23 times at U21 level, scoring once, Reo-Coker last year rejected the international advances of Sierra Leone, the country of his doctor father’s birth and where he lived for six years as a child.

Reo-Coker, who TWTD Message Board rumours claimed to have been at Portman Road with team-mate John Carew early in the summer, was recently linked with West Brom but over the weekend that switch was reported to have broken down.

The midfielder is unlikely to be short on offers from both Premier League and Championship clubs and, like other out-of-contract players, is probably weighing up his options.

Town target Lee Bowyer is almost certainly in a similar position with Leeds and Derby also both interested but with talks regarding a move to Portman Road understood to have made progress this week with the completion of a deal prior to next week's pre-season tour of Holland not out of the question.

Elsewhere, former Blue Ian Westlake is on trial with NASL side the Montreal Impact. Westlake, 27, left Wycombe Wanderers after an injury-hit spell at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, reported Town target David Nugent has signed a three-year deal with Leicester having been out of contract at Portsmouth, while Sheffield United are claimed to have slapped a £4 million price tag on defender Matt Lowton, who is believed to be interesting the Blues and Blackpool.

Photo: Action Images

itfc1878 added 07:32 - Jul 6 good news! him,jimmy,another striker,a defender-SORTED:)
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Mark added 07:42 - Jul 6 If we can sign a 27-year-old who cost £8.5M three years ago that would be fantastic! 285 league appearances and 18 goals according to Wiki, nearly all of which were in the Premier League.
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manualthetisfanclub added 07:44 - Jul 6 Boring,boring,boring until the ink is dry on a contract,seeing is believing!! all these names linked are never realisticly ever going to sign,they will all other better options than us! All of us get real!!
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Roystheboy added 07:53 - Jul 6 Why don't you lot just save your time and effort and stop speculating on what may happen, all very boring....... Just wait and see I am sure Roy (whoops I mean Paul) will do the business. Have a lovely day.
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Dissboyitfc added 07:54 - Jul 6 Even if he did choose us, and i doubt he would ( just being realistic ) his wages would be colossal , is that going to cause unrest in the dressing room? We need a team pulling together. It is exciting being linked and dreaming of such players, but we need to be sensible, dont we? Nice to dream but, all this linked with business is doing my head in now...lol. COYB
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RetroBlue added 07:54 - Jul 6 tbh I seriously doubt we sign any of these high profile players, simply because they can still interest Premier Clubs - aint gonna happen , sadly ! :(
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imalwayswrong added 08:07 - Jul 6 Like sound of reo coker, Carew and Bullard
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sereneblue added 08:07 - Jul 6 What about Owen Hargraves. He's looking for a club and we could take him on on a play as you play basis due to his injury record. If he proves his fitness then give him a contract. When fully fit he is a quality player.
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gypo added 08:08 - Jul 6 Like it but Don't tell sven !!
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sereneblue added 08:10 - Jul 6 What about Owen Hargraves. He's looking for a club and we could take him on on a pay as you play basis due to his injury record. If he proves his fitness then give him a contract. When fully fit he is a quality player.
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cornishnick added 08:15 - Jul 6 Can't believe this in a million years, but would be a fantastic signing.
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Razza added 08:19 - Jul 6 Only problem that I see is that the bloke's an obsolute W***er
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brittaniaman added 08:19 - Jul 6 The rate Eriksson is signing players (Nugent latest) he will have 2 teams to put in the championship this season, I am sure he will not be able to keep all these players happy !!!! but that is Eriksson all over hey !!
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oddball added 08:41 - Jul 6 No Chance, top midfielder who surely will stay in prem, if signed him would be best signing for years.
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Marshalls_Mullet added 08:52 - Jul 6 Would be the coup of the summer. I cant seeing us getting him, but if PJ pulls that off he'll go down in folklore!!
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East_of_England added 09:04 - Jul 6 Doubt Bullard, Carew or Reo-Coker will accept 15K... :)
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Mummy_Short_Arms added 09:05 - Jul 6 Anyone who thinks this will happen is living in cloud coker land.
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joshberry94 added 09:08 - Jul 6 As much as i would really want to see him playing for Town (a player of real Premiership quality IMO)I just cannot see NRC wanting to join us, especially seeing other premiership clubs - who could probably offer him first-team football - are interested. another problem with this signing is that wages may prove a stumbling block as he is likely to be on at least 25k a week at Aston Villa. he may be worth it though. a real strong solid central midfielder at championship level. cant wait to see him in a blue shirt if this happens...!

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SouperJim added 09:09 - Jul 6 Fantastic stuff PJ, if we could get him it would be a massive massive coup, but I would be amazed if he doesn't end up at a premiership club.
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bluetoba added 09:10 - Jul 6 Great signing in theory but i think fat chance with this one.
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notoriousITFC added 09:13 - Jul 6 This would be remarkably good if we landed Nigel! I would be very surprised if he made the step down but lets hope...
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oldelsworthyfan added 09:13 - Jul 6 Another smokescreen distracting everyone from who PJ is really interested in signing?
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Marshalls_Mullet added 09:17 - Jul 6 joshberry94 - I dont see him joining Town, but you say 'another problem with this signing is that wages may prove a stumbling block as he is likely to be on at least 25k a week at Aston Villa.' He is not an Aston Villa player, he is out of contract, so on Zero wages. The issue is the competition from clubs in the lower Prem of the likes of Leicester, who are in a position to offer either prem football or higher wages, or both.

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saffronblue added 09:17 - Jul 6 If Jewell and Clegg can pull this one off I for one I wil take my hat off and eat it. Nice to see us linked with these types of players but cant really see it happening.
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meekreech added 09:17 - Jul 6 If we are going to compete this season we need to be getting the team shape finalised not speculating on ' linked with ' more ' have signed ' . The almost daily ' linked with ' is now so boring as to be tedious , so please PJ give us poor supporters something more ( like some additional players ) or are we going to be left wanting yet again !
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