NIGEL MANSELL could be back in Formula One next season at the wheel of a Jordan-Peugeot. The move would give Mansell one last shot at reviving a career which seemed over when he quit the McLaren-Mercedes team last year after only two races.

The 43-year-old will visit Jordan's Silverstone headquarters this morning on what is regarded as nothing more than a preliminary fact finding tour to establish whether more detailed negotiations will follow.

This news coincided with the publication of the official 1997 World Championship entry list which indicates that the second Jordan-Peugeot seat alongside Ralf Schumacher, the younger brother of the German world champion Ferrari driver Michael, is one of six seats still to be filled in the 24-car field.

The Jordan team yesterday refused to offer any comment on the matter, although they confirmed that feelers were put out in September to establish whether Mansell had any serious plans for the future.

It now appears that the 1992 world champion has responded to their advances and today's meeting is the first step towards establishing whether there is any serious common ground between them.

Formula One insiders regard the possibility of such a deal as a high-risk strategy for both parties. Mansell split with McLaren because he felt that their 1995 car was uncompetitive and the team considered it a waste of time if the British driver could not commit wholeheartedly to the programme.

For Eddie Jordan, the prospect of signing Mansell could go a long way towards balancing his disappointment in failing to secure Damon Hill's services for 1997. The Jordan team is under pressure from Peugeot, its engine suppliers, to raise the level of its performance next season and the possibility of losing its engine deal to an all-French team headed by Alain Prost in 1998. If Mansell can still perform competitively, he might be just what they need at a crucial moment.