TRANSFER RUMOURS: Sterling, Bale and McClaren futures unclear; Cook wants Spireites duo

Following bids for Sam Clucas from Wigan and Reading, new boss Dean Saunders is also facing a fight to keep Jimmy Ryan and Gary Roberts with former boss Cook believed to be keen on taking them to his new club Portsmouth.

Versatile Drew Talbot could also be on the move with Oxford United keen on his services.

Chesterfield are keen to add to their squad too, striker Jon Stead on their radar having starred for Bradford City last season on loan from Huddersfield. He is a free agent.

Elsewhere, the possible destination of wantaway Liverpool star Raheem Sterling remains unclear with both Manchester United and Arsenal monitoring the situation closely.

United are also keen on Valencia defender Nicolas Otamendi and Athletic Bilbao’s Aymeric Laporte, but any hopes of signing Gareth Bale may have been quashed despite a possible swap deal with David De Gea being on the table.

Borussia Dortmund are also claiming defender Mats Hummels has rejected a move to Old Trafford.

West Brom striker Saido Berahino continues to attract attention following some sparkling displays last season and Manchester City are keen on him, with Alex Song also on their radar following his loan spell at West Ham, although Chelsea may provide opposition for his signature.

Yaya Toure could be on his way out of the Etihad Stadium with Inter Milan keen on the midfielder.

Champions Chelsea are preparing a bid for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke while Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also interesting them with a possible deal for Petr Cech in the offing.

Cech going to the Emirates Stadium might help Wojciech Szczesny decide to leave, Southampton among those interested in the Polish keeper.

Barcelona striker Pedro is sought after by several Premier League clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs, while Stoke could make defender Philipp Wollscheid’s move permanent from Bayer Leverkusen following his loan spell.

Among other rumours are Liverpool continuing their interest in Man City striker Stevan Jovetic, while Derby County are keen to net Millwall goalkeeper David Forde who is available on a free transfer. Young Coventry midfielder James Maddison is attracting plenty of attention, Aston Villa and West Brom keen to keep the 18-year-old in the Midlands.

Further afield, Barcelona star Xavi is set to head to the Middle East with Qatar side Al Sadd ready to sign the 35-year-old.

On the management front, there are fresh doubts about Derby County boss Steve McClaren’s future with him set to meet the club’s hierarchy today following his return from holiday. Real Madrid coach Paul Clement is among those rumoured to be interested in replacing McClaren should he leave the Rams.