The Blues, Aberdeen and Crystal Palace are being linked with a summer move for Shrewsbury Town right-back Ben Herd. The 22-year-old has impressed since joining the Shrews from Watford in 2005.

Welwyn Garden City-born Herd started his career at Vicarage Road but failed to make a senior appearance before moving to Shrewsbury at the start of the 2005/06 season on a free transfer.

Since then he has made the right-back role at the New Meadow his own, making 124 starts and 10 sub appearances, scoring three goals. Herd, 5ft 9in tall, is contracted to the Shrews until the summer of 2009.

Town could be in the market for another right-back this summer as cover for David Wright with Sito expected to leave Portman Road at the end of his contract. Veteran Fabian Wilnis and youngster Michael Synnott are also moving on during the close season leaving the Blues short on right-backs.

Meanwhile, Sunderland have released reported Town target Ian Harte. The 30-year-old Republic of Ireland international left-back was linked with the Blues, Norwich City and Leicester City by various national newspapers last month.

Sunderland may also be ready to release central defender Paul McShane, a player who was close to joining the Blues during Jim Magilton's first summer in charge of the club in 2006. The former Manchester United trainee eventually decided to sign for West Brom before moving to Sunderland last summer, but has been out of favour at the Stadium of Light after a succession of disastrous performances earlier in the season.

Elsewhere, Leicester chief executive Paul Aldridge has conceded that players will have to leave the relegated Foxes during the close season. Town have already been strongly tipped to make a renewed move for central defender Gareth McAuley.

Aldridge said: "It's a financial blow, no doubt about it, but it's not the catastrophic one of falling out of the Premier League. It's a big blow but we do have incomes and we do have a reduction in our costs.

"From a sporting perspective, for our dream and goal to get back into the Premier League, it's a big dent in it. It's more of a sporting blow than a financial one.

"The majority of players have got a contract where all basics and bonuses are reduced in the lower division. The overall amount for the same number of players will be less in this division than the Championship.

"It will be a process over the summer because the players have contracts. What the club might like to do is not always what happens.

"Clearly we have good players who are desirable. Until we sit and talk to the players and their agents, I don't know what their desire is. If a player really has his heart set on going then it's difficult, but that's not to say we have had that.”

A national newspaper claimed earlier in the week that the Blues will make a £1 million bid for McAuley, who signed a new deal aimed at keeping him at the Walkers Stadium until 2011 in February.

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