Town boss Mick McCarthy has confirmed that he and assistant Terry Connor will watch winger Daryl Horgan in action for Dundalk in their Europa League game against AZ Alkmaar in Dublin this evening. Meanwhile, McCarthy says he’d be willing to send central defender or midfielder Paul Digby out on loan.
Quizzed on reports he was off to this evening’s game, the Town manager said: "Yes, I am, myself and TC are going to watch. We’re going to look at him, probably with 23 other Championship clubs. Maybe not that, I don’t think Newcastle will be there, but there will be a few watching.
"There’s a great deal of interest in him and he’s got in the Ireland squad. We’ve known about him for a long time and, of course, the better Dundalk have done and with him getting in the Ireland squad there’s just more and more interest.
"But I’ll still go and watch him live. I’ve seen him on the TV, I watched him against Zenit, he scored a great goal there and we’ve had good reports.
"It’s becoming a very public auction because whoever’s told whoever that I’m going out tonight, quite clearly the agent has told him so everybody else knows.
"So, let’s make it as public as we can and they can get as much as they want. That might not be us if that’s the case.”
Dundalk recently confirmed their third successive Airtricity League Premier Division championship.
"That doesn’t make him a Championship footballer, the team won the title,” McCarthy added. "He does look like a Championship player.
"But, as I said, the more people that go out, the more interest there is, the more money it costs.
"He’s a free transfer, it’s not a bidding war to buy him, it’ll be a bidding war to pay him and to pay the agent.
"And quite clearly they’ve done their job by announcing in the Irish Independent that I’m going out to watch, and I suppose everybody else [is as well]."
Everton, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Reading, Preston North End, PSV Eindhoven, Melbourne City, the Colorado Rapids, Sunderland, West Ham and Bolton Wanderers are among the other clubs also reported to be keeping tabs on 24-year-old Horgan, while Hull City manager Mike Phelan is also expected to be making the trip to this evening's match.
Regarding Digby, 21, who has made only one league appearance as a late sub this season, McCarthy says he has had interest in taking him on loan in January and would consider allowing the former Barnsley man to go out for a spell to gain experience.
"We did have one club enquire about him and he’s not going to be getting games, not in front of the other lads, so that would be beneficial,” he added. "Yes, I would send him out.”