Blues boss Mick McCarthy has revealed he has spoken to Crystal Palace regarding keeper Bartosz Bialkowski and says he was told the Pole was one of around six on their list of potential January targets.

As reported yesterday, understand the Eagles are understood to be willing to pay Town’s asking price for Bialkowski, which is believed to be upwards of £4 million, with discussions between the clubs continuing.

McCarthy says that ultimately it will be down to owner Marcus Evans to accept a bid if the Premier League side, who he revealed are also eyeing other alternatives, make one.

“Can I just clear that up, it’s not stumping up the money that I think he’s worth, it’s stumping up the money that Marcus thinks he’s worth, it’s not my decision,” he said.

“I think it would be pretty restrictive what Marcus thinks he’s worth because we all think he’s a top, top goalkeeper.

“All that started because everybody knows Crystal Palace are in for a goalkeeper and I think every agent and his mother, brother and sister got involved and started putting names into Palace.

“I asked Palace, I rang them up. All that dancing around the handbags and wondering what’s going on is nonsense for me - just go and ask.

“He was on a list of six goalkeepers, I think it was six, he said, he was on a list of goalkeepers, it could have been six, could have been 10, as we all do. Somebody will have out him in there as one of the best in the Championship.

“That’s where we are. He was on a list. He may still be on it, he might not be, he might be in the bin.”

He added: “It’s down to them to make a bid, it’s down to them if they want to take him.”

And then, he says, it will be up to Evans to decide whether that offer is enough to tempt the Blues to part with their Player of the Year for the last two seasons.

“Nobody can buy my house without my say-so or me and the missus anyway. It’s no different,” the Blues boss added.

However, he admits that if an offer does come in from a top flight club it might be difficult to turn down in any case from the player’s perspective.

“The upshot of it is that Bart came here on a free transfer and he’s been wonderful,” he continued.

“And there is that side of it, if a bid came in that was acceptable, it’s almost like it would be unacceptable for him to continue playing in the Championship, if a certain bid was made and he wants to play in the Premier League, because everybody wants to be there.

“The promised land. I guess you would all like to report on the Premier League football and do radio shows on it.”

Bialkowski, who is contracted to the Blues until the end of the season with the club having an option for a further year, joined Town from Notts County on a free transfer in the summer of 2014 but with the League Two side entitled to a percentage of the fee if he is sold.

Photo: TWTD

OohOohSamassiAbou added 15:27 - Jan 5 Mick does seem to have a bit of a strop on today
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Jimmy86 added 15:52 - Jan 5 Mick is certainly putting it out there that if Bart is sold it is seemingly down to Evans and not him. He's not taking responsibility for that and not surprising, as there would be uproar. Things seem to be unravelling fairly quickly it seems. The fact that any outgoings would be replaced by free signings or loans, tell's you all you need to know.
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Gforce added 15:54 - Jan 5 So potentially around £800,000 of the fee,probably about 20%,would be on its way to Notts County.
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ronnyd added 16:00 - Jan 5 Mick states that it is what Marcus Evans thinks Bart is worth which will decide if he stays or goes. Unfotunately Our owner seems to know very little about football looking at his previous appointments etc. Lets hope he aims high then.
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joepublic added 16:32 - Jan 5 In one breath he distances himself from any sale and in the next he says he has been phoning Palace to discuss a potential sale. Sad times. The whole team is probably on Graigs list.
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lightingblue added 16:36 - Jan 5 Everyone should football is a bit like a cattle market. Players come players go. It's not as though Bart is de gea or of the same standard as Richard Wright or Paul cooper
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happybeingblue added 16:59 - Jan 5 rather than sell Bart why not just put the club up for sale at the end of the season with owners who have an actual ambition and plan to get us out of this league rather than treading water
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Kikapu added 17:05 - Jan 5 Joepublic - Two breaths, quite clearly. We know that ME takes the final decision on buying and selling players ie it's out of mm's hands. The second breath, as a manager MM wanted to know if Bart is likely to be on CP's list as it's in MM's interest to know, as well as it being on the mind of his team, to end the uncertainty - one way or the other. Quite rightly he put in a call to Palace. By playing him in the match tomorrow MM is clearly stating his preference and at the same time, sending a message to ME. If Bart is pulled out of the team before the match then we'll know what the club's intentions are.

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lightingblue added 17:07 - Jan 5 Happybeingblue. That's pretty ambitious. Who has the funds to take ownership of Ipswich with all its debt. If there were, would they be any better what we have. That includes Milne, Evans and McCarthy. Hand on heart who is genuinely out there. People say about the blokes at Lincoln city, but would they want to come it's all to easy to say get them in. I should imagine it's not that easy.

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martin587 added 17:11 - Jan 5 There could be a possible deal with one of Palace's keepers coming this way so there would be a lot of discussions. Just a thought.!
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bournemouthblue added 17:30 - Jan 5 So he may not even be their number one target Thanks for unsettling one of our best players none the less Palace The £4 million fee is laughable, let alone with 20% of it going to Notts County
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bigolconnor added 19:13 - Jan 5 It would be suicidal at this point to sell Bart. Gerken is injured and not good enough. We won't get a good enough replacement even if one was available and £4 million is not enough money. Enough is enough.
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warktheline added 19:27 - Jan 5 I may have to reconsider my predicted 14 th place finish!
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Seasider added 19:45 - Jan 5 If Bart goes its Mick's favourite Gerks at No 1 again then
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Seasider added 19:50 - Jan 5 Lightingblue.How about that good owd boy from Fram,think his name is Ed Sheeran ?
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HALLSJ added 20:21 - Jan 5 He goesthen I don't go again
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happybeingblue added 20:29 - Jan 5 Not really lightning just look at what is happening to Barnsley at the moment big takeover with a consortium... plus who really believes the so called debt evans is stating ...we all thought he was our saviour when he arrived, yet we are worse off now than ever...he is supposedly worth more than sir paul mccartney ...time to take the blinkers off :)
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GiveusaWave added 21:56 - Jan 5 So...basically we would be selling at just over 3 million....for our best player.
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Hegansheroes added 15:16 - Jan 6 Seasuder-perhaps Ed Sheeran & some of his mates could get together. And yes happybeing we are far worse off than when Evans took over. I'm under the impression he could being using the club for money laundering-he is a dodgy character. Seriously I know Evans has no interest in football whatsoever & could be using in his empire as a tax loss, nothing would surprise me with that man. Woryingly the club could lose Playford Road for development but not PR which is still council owned I believe.

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