Steve McManaman may be given the chance to earn a sizeable fortune in Spain after all. Three months after the Liverpool forward's £12 million move to Barcelona collapsed amid allegations of excessive wage demands and broken promises, the deal is about to be resurrected.
McManaman's return to form, coupled with Barcelona's embarrassing failure to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League, has prompted speculation in Spain that negotiations between the two clubs could re-open before Christmas. Although the captain has insisted he is content to remain with Liverpool, he has refused to accept the offer of a new contract.
An improved deal to replace the one which expires in 18 months' time was officially offered to the 25-year-old more than 12 months ago but it remains unsigned and on the table of Liverpool's vice-chairman Peter Robinson.
Despite publicly pledging his allegiance to his home town club, McManaman, clearly, would be happy to join Barcelona. Indeed, he would probably have swapped Anfield for the Nou Camp in September had he not demanded an annual salary believed to be in the region of £2 million.
With McManaman guaranteed a free transfer under the Bosman ruling, at the end of the 1998-99 season, Liverpool would not hesitate to cash in on one of their most valuable assets.
Meanwhile, Denis Irwin will not make his Manchester United comeback against Everton at Old Trafford on St Stephen's Day. Irwin, who has been sidelined since he suffered knee ligament damage in a horror tackle committed by Feyenoord's Paul Bosvelt on November 5th, had been pencilled in to make his return in that game.
The Republic of Ireland fullback will play in an A team fixture on Saturday, but United manager Alex Ferguson claims he needs more games to get him match fit. "Denis will play in the A team on Saturday against Bury, that's a good one for him," said Ferguson.
"But we don't have a reserve team game until December 30th, which is crazy, so we'll have to think about arranging him one. I would think that Everton is too soon for him and really he could have done with a game on Saturday. But the important thing is that he is on his way back and that's good news for us."
Paul Scholes returns from suspension for Sunday's trip to St James' Park to face Newcastle, but Ferguson claims the England midfielder is not guaranteed a place in the starting line-up. "I'm not saying that he's back, but he is free of suspension," he said.
Everton manager Howard Kendall is to run the risk of alienating his chairman Peter Johnson by telling him he is now ready to sanction the sale of his club's most accomplished players. Johnson will depart for a Christmas break in Barbados later this week, fully aware that upon his return home in early January Everton's senior squad could boast several new faces.
Having been informed that he has no money available to him to strengthen a team languishing near the foot of the Premiership, Kendall is ready to consider serious offers for most of his senior squad. Although understandably reluctant to auction off his club's family jewels - Duncan Ferguson, Gary Speed and Andy Hinchcliffe - Kendall may decide to sacrifice at least one of them in order to fund a meaningful overhaul of a side which has not tasted victory in two months.
Kendall's dilemma is that prospective buyers are aware of Everton's financial problems and are subsequently deliberately down-sizing bids in the belief that there are festive bargains to be had. Newcastle United have offered £3.5 million for the £5.5 million-rated Speed, Middlesbrough £3.6 million for £6 million-rated Ferguson and Derby County £2 million for £4 million-rated Hinchcliffe. Other players who may find themselves offered as make-weights in exchange deals are Earl Barrett, Claus Thomsen, Nick Barmby and Paul Gerrard.
Having been given the all clear to pick up the threads of his fractured career, former Liverpool and Southampton goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar has joined First Division Oldham Athletic on a short term contract. Grobbelaar played for Oldham's reserve team against Bury at Gigg Lane yesterday in a game which ended in a 2-2 draw.
