Northern Ireland coach Nigel Worthington says he’s not surprised Town defender Gareth McAuley is interesting Premier League Bolton and SPL champions Rangers. McAuley is likely to win his 22nd full cap when Northern Ireland take on Chile at the Estadio Municipal de Chillán in a friendly this evening.
Worthington said: "I've known Gareth a long time and worked with him at Leicester City when I was there for a short period.
"He's a good pro, very focused on his job and I'm not surprised that bigger clubs are being mentioned.
"The more players we can have at the top end of the league, whether it be the Premiership or the Premiership in Scotland, the better for the player and the better for us."
McAuley, 30, is contracted to the Blues until the summer of 2011, having moved to Portman Road from Leicester in the summer of 2008 for a fee of £1.1 million.
Meanwhile, in Sunday's papers, Middlesbrough are reported to be winning the race for Scunthorpe striker Gary Hooper. The Blues and a host of other clubs are understood to have been chasing the former Grays Athletic man.
Boro are said to have made a £2.5 million bid for the 22-year-old, who is claimed to already have been shown round their training ground.
While the Blues watched Hooper in action on a number of occasions last season, Cardiff's Michael Chopra is top of Roy Keane's list of strikers with a bid which we now understand to be in the region of £3.5 million having been tabled.
Cardiff's takeover by a Malaysian consortium was completed earlier in the week, but the Bluebirds still may not be in a position where they can turn down an offer for this season's 21-goal top scorer.