One time Trotters loanee Allan Johnston is being given a chance by Championship side Stoke City having been without a club since leaving Carling Cup winners Middlesbrough over the summer. The 29-year old looked to heading to Rotherham United but Potters manager Tony Pulis has stepped in to take a look at the ex-Sunderland and Rangers flier.
Former French international Ibrahim Ba who left Bolton at the end of last season will not be offered a deal with Nottingham Forest after their manager Joe Kinnear decided that the midfielder was no better than what he currently had at his disposal.
Meanwhile Leeds United have joined Crystal Palace in showing an interest in Birmingham's Aliou Cisse, the Senegal midfielder who saw a move to Bolton Wanderers collapse earlier in the summer.