CASH-STRAPPED Oxford United may end up selling top scorer Dean Windass - if they can make a profit on the striker they've yet to pay a penny for.

Seven-goal Windass is being eyed by Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry, Southampton, Wolves and Bolton, according to reports in national papers.

And Malcolm Shotton's former Barnsley boss Danny Wilson, now manager at Sheffield Wednesday, is favourite to land the 29-year-old to help solve his striking problems.

Wednesday are without Paolo Di Canio until Boxing Day with Di Canio in the middle of an 11-game suspension for pushing over referee Paul Alcock, while fellow Italian striker Benito Carbone is currently sidelined with an ankle injury.

Wilson is being forced to play Andy Booth and Richie Humpheys up front which is leaving Wednesday lightweight up front by Premier League standards.

Shotton will not want to lose Windass, bought in the summer for a club record but bargain £450,000, yet the decision may be taken out of his hands with United directors desperate for cash to keep the club afloat, and to be able to pay staff wages.

And if United can sell him at around £800,000 to pay off their debt to Aberdeen and make a profit, they will probably do so.

Wilson tried to sign Windass for Barnsley last season but he was put off by ex-Aberdeen boss Roy Aitken, who valued the player at £1m. Meanwhile, Kevin Francis will not be fit enough to face his former club Birmingham City at St Andrews this Saturday.

Oxford were hoping the giant striker, who has yet to play this season because of a knee injury, would soon be ready to return to the team.

But a Combination reserve team fixture for which Francis was pencilled in, against Colchester tomorrow, has been called off because Colchester have an Essex County Cup tie, which takes precedence.

United manager Malcolm Shotton confirmed Francis is still short of fitness.

"It's still too soon," he said, "but Steve Davis is a lot closer and is starting to push towards playing."

Centre back Davis will be needed soon because defenders Phil Whelan and Les Robinson collected their fifth bookings of the season at Watford on Saturday and will miss the Division 1 game against Port Vale at the Manor Ground on November 21.

Whelan had only three yellow cards this time last week but was booked in the reserves' win over Millwall last Wednesday and then found himself cautioned again at Vicarage Road.

Windass and left back Simon Marsh will be available again after suspension at Birmingham, but to lose two key players against relegation rivals Port Vale is another blow to a team that hasn't won for seven games.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.