Chris Lakey Glenn Roeder may have to persuade Mark Fotheringham against a return to his native Scotland as he prepares for a new round of talks with the Norwich City skipper.

Chris Lakey

Glenn Roeder may have to persuade Mark Fotheringham against a return to his native Scotland as he prepares for a new round of talks with the Norwich City skipper.

One-time Celtic player Fotheringham is due to resume contract negotiations with the Canaries manager early next week, as interest in the 24-year-old begins to mount.

The midfielder is out of contract this summer and, while a new deal is on the table, the delay in signing it has alerted other clubs, including Championship rivals Charlton.

But Dundee-born Fotheringham faces a new temptation from several Scottish Premier League teams and is understood to have spent most of this week north of the border before heading south.

“He is up in Scotland at the moment,” said Fotheringham's agent, Charles Duddy yesterday.

“I spoke with him yesterday and he will be going down to see Glenn Roeder in the next 48 hours to discuss his options.”

Duddy declined to discuss the chances of Fotheringham staying with City, but he did confirm the interest from other clubs.

“I think Alan Pardew is interested, yes,” he said. “And there are a number of SPL teams as well.”

Fotheringham has already publicly stated that he wants to stay at Carrow Road, but with no transfer fee involved, he is an attractive proposition for any admirers.

Roeder - who also needs to wrap up a deal with out-of-contract central defender Gary Doherty - has promised big changes at Carrow Road this season and was yesterday linked with a move for highly-rated Luton midfielder David Bell.

Sky Sports claimed that Norwich, Coventry and Leicester have all lodged bids for the 24-year-old Bell, whose is currently one of the few assets belonging to cash-strapped Luton.

The attraction of the former Republic of Ireland under-21 player is that he can play centre midfield and wide right and left - which more than matches the dual-role criteria Roeder has set for some of his summer transfer targets.

Kettering-born Bell, who was on loan at Leicester for two months at the end of the season, has also attracted the attentions of Nottingham Forest and Leeds.

t The City boss could be in line for a windfall from former club, West Ham, if ex-Canaries striker Dean Ashton fails to agree a new contract and seeks a move.

The 24-year-old Ashton was due to open talks with the Hammers yesterday over a new deal and pay rise amid reports of an impending £10m bid from Manchester United.

Previous stories have linked the former Crewe striker with Newcastle, Manchester City and Portsmouth.

When Ashton left Carrow Road for Upton Park in a £7.25m deal in January 2006, City negotiated a sell-on clause giving them 15pc of any profit West Ham make if and when they sell the player.

A £10m move for Ashton could bring Norwich about £400,000.