Released striker Noel Hunt is in talks with League One Southend, Shrimpers manager Phil Brown has confirmed.
"I’ve spoken to Noel and he’s a quality footballer who I would absolutely love to bring to the football club,” Brown told the Southend Echo.
"As you would expect he has a lot of interest from elsewhere but when I spoke to him he did seem quite keen.
"The advantage we have is that his agent helped organise our [pre-season training trip] to Spain and been out here with us so we’ve been able to talk about one or two things.
"We will do what we can to try and make it happen but we do have a lot of competition in trying to secure his signature.”
Hunt, 32, has spent the last week training at Playford Road while he looks for a new club.
Southend have already signed Anthony Wordsworth, who was also released by the Blues at the end of 2014/15.
Meanwhile, Town could find themselves £250,000 richer this lunchtime when the winners of the Sky Bet Transfer Fund competition are drawn live on Sky Sports, from 12.15pm. MD Ian Milne is representing the Blues at the draw. [Edit: Derby County were the winners].