Town winger Ulrich Le Pen's loan club Strasbourg will have to wait until June 11th to discover whether their finances are in good enough shape for them to remain in the French top flight.

Strasbourg, in heavy debt and recently the subject of a takeover, presented their accounts and next season's budget to La Direction Nationale de Contrôle et de Gestion (DNCG) yesterday. The DNCG is the body which keeps an eye on the business side of French league clubs.

The verdict was due last night but apparently because of the current industrial action in France it has been delayed. If the DNCG are unimpressed then Strasbourg could face relegation.

Whether Le Pen is offered a new deal with the Alsace side very much depends on findings while the player himself would be less interested in a switch to a side outside the top division.

It appears a number of established Strasbourg players will be leaving this summer with Fabrice Ehret rumoured to be on his way to Souchaux. This could persuade Le Pen to remain with Strasbourg, Ehret having spent much of this season in the Town man's preferred left midfield position.

Le Pen has also received an offer of a contract from Guingamp, a move which may be preferable to him as they play back in his home region of Brittany at a top division side not in the same financial difficulties as Strasbourg.

Town would like a fee for the 29-year-old but may be content just to see him removed from the wage bill. Le Pen himself has repeatedly stated that he doesn't want a return to Town, although the Blues have told him that if no deal is done by July 2nd then he is to appear for pre-season training.

The club has said the same to Matteo Sereni whose loan club Brescia are reported in Italy to be interested in Dundee United's Scottish international keeper Paul Gallacher. He would be signed as back-up to Sereni with a report yesterday saying that Brescia are still to negotiate a fee with Town.

Sereni himself has been reported to prefer a move back to Sampdoria, the side he left to join Town for £4.7 million in the summer of 2001 after they were recently promoted back to Serie A. Like Le Pen Sereni does not want a return to Town.

Town want to get a fee of some kind for the Italian and the exit of other high-earners such as may strangthen their bargaining position. Sereni is the club's highest earner on £22,000-a-week, although until the end of June he is being paid by Brescia.

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