WOLVES manager Mick McCarthy is still interested in a swoop for Bobo Balde but insists he is unable to meet the Celtic defender's wage demands.
Balde is reportedly earning around £30,000 a week at Parkhead, but would have the opportunity to play first-team football at Molineux.
McCarthy said: "We don't pay that kind of money as we're not in that market or that pay league, so it's a non-st
arter in that sense. But he has only one year left on his contract so he has the option of staying and taking the money or moving on; taking less but playing and having a longer contract.
"I enquired about his availability before the end of last season. I just asked a question then about what his financial position was. Balde has always been one I've liked because he is a big, powerful centre-half."
Meanwhile, Celtic are demanding a fee plus full payment of John Kennedy's wages for any loan period.
Motherwell are looking for a reduction in those terms and Norwich are waiting in the wings to meet Celtic's demands if a compromise cannot be agreed over Kennedy, who is keen to play for his local team having just become a father.
Jim O'Brien, who played for Motherwell in Wednesday night's 1-1 draw with Wolves, would also command a fee having refused a new contract offer from Celtic.
The full article contains 237 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.