The Football League last night insisted news that ITV Digital has been put up for sale would not change their demands from the troubled broadcaster.
Administrators Deloitte & Touche revealed ITV Digital would be sold as a going concern after it had "not been possible" to restructure the cost base.
Football League chief executive David Burns insisted the clubs would continue to push for the all the money owed to them by ITV Digital.
Burns said: "This is a course of action that we had anticipated. It does not, however, alter the league's determination to receive full value for the £178.5 million it is owed by Carlton and Granada."
The league and ITV Digital's parent companies Carlton and Granada have been involved in a dispute over the television deal agreed last summer.
Carlton and Granada first sought to trim the agreed £178.5 million fee to the league due over the next two years. But when negotiations failed to solve the dispute, ITV Digital was put into voluntary administration last month, claiming it could not afford to honour the deal.
Former Coventry City midfielder Gary McAllister indicated yesterday that he expects to be named manager of the first division club.
McAllister, currently with Liverpool, has emerged as the favourite to succeed Roland Nilsson, sacked last week.
"I have been on the telephone non-stop trying to organise things," McAllister said. "I accept that, as a new manager, I am going to need the right help. Now I am waiting for certain things to fall into place and then we will take it from there."
Back at Anfield, Liverpool's Emile Heskey will sign a new five-year deal at the end of the season.The 24-year-old, who has two years of his current deal to run, will sign up until 2007 with wages of £40,000 a week.
Sergei Rebrov's summer departure from Tottenham should be confirmed at the weekend. The Ukranian's agent plans talks with Glenn Hoddle after Saturday's game against Liverpool to get an official go-ahead to find the striker a new club.
"I need to sort out something for Sergei because the situation is very bad," said Sandor Varga. "He just wants a chance to play football."
Varga will also meet Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and is hopeful of negotiating a contract for Oleg Luzhny, whose deal runs out at the end of the season.
Gianluca Vialli will be asked to justify his transfer record as Watford manager at crisis talks with the Vicarage Road board tomorrow after a dangerous rise in the wage bill.
The Italian's job is under threat after he failed to mount a serious first division promotion challenge despite a heavy outlay on big-name players.
Operating costs at Watford have reportedly risen by £4 million since Vialli took over from Graham Taylor last June and the club were banking on money from the ITV Digital deal to balance the books. But with that revenue in doubt, Vialli has been ordered to axe high-earners like Ramon Vega and Marcus Gayle.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has defended himself against the allegations laid against him by FIFA general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen.
Blatter met the general secretary yesterday and asked him to either withdraw his comments in a written statement or to back them up with concrete evidence by this evening.
Zen-Ruffinen made comments in a Swiss newspaper alleging irregularities in Blatter's election.
Tonight's fixtures
(7.45 unless stated)
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - Semi-final, first leg: Barcelona v Real Madrid.
ENGLISH FA PREMIERSHIP - Blackburn v Newcastle (8.00); Fulham v Bolton.
IRISH LEAGUE - Premier Division: Cliftonville v Portadown.
