Town manager Joe Royle has confirmed that he is interested in Burnley centre-half Drissa Diallo but has refuted a number of other recent links. Stories regarding Paul Gerrard, Shaun Goater and, unfortunately for TWTD, Leigh Bromby have all been refuted by the Blues' boss.

Out-of-contract Guinean international Diallo impressed against Town for Burnley in January and Royle says he is definitely amongst his targets: “Diallo is one that we know about and we would like him - but he's not the only one and there's nothing likely to happen for a while yet."

Town cannot formally offer a contract to anyone until they are out of administration and have had their transfer embargo lifted, probably on June 4th. However, it is likely that informal talks will take place before then. Diallo is understood to be in Paris weighing up a new offer from Burnley.

Royle recently announced that he was looking to bring in a new goalkeeper in the summer to provide competition for Andy Marshall, James Pullen having been released and perhaps to Boston. Gerrard was a name mentioned in a number of places, the Everton stopper having had a spell on loan at Town in November.

But the Town boss says that Gerrard is not a player he is considering at present: “I know Paul well and I like him a lot, but he's not out of contract and he is on Premiership wages. It would be very hard for us to bring him here.”

Like Gerrard, Shaun Goater is a former charge of Royle's linked with a switch to Portman Road. The Bermudan is set to leave the Citizens in the close season but Royle says he won't be coming to Suffolk: "I'd always take a 30-goal-a-season man but Shaun is way out of our range.

"In any case, a forward player is not out priority. With the continued improvement of both Bents, along with Pablo Couñago, and the emergence of Dean Bowditch, that's not a big issue.”

He also poured cold water on our report claiming that Sheffield Wednesday's Leigh Bromby was in his plans.

Previously, Royle has said he was looking to bring in two central defenders over the summer, although now he seems to have reduced that number to one: “My priority is to sign a keeper and a central defender. I think I can get by with one new defender, unless we lost players in that area of the team.”

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