Oxford United look set to sell either Joey Beauchamp or Paul Powell as financial pressures mount at the Manor Ground.

Moneybags Fulham are keen to add Beauchamp to their array of stars while Derby County, who have been watching Powell all season, could soon be poised to make a move for the 20-year-old from Didcot.

It seems highly unlikely, though, that United would sell both their left-sided midfielders and which deal goes through could depend on whether Beauchamp wants a switch to London again following his ill-fated move to West Ham.

Negotiations appear to have gone on at board level between Craven Cottage and the Manor after United manager Malcolm Shotton admitted he knew nothing about a reported £1m-plus bid by Fulham for Beauchamp.

Beauchamp told me today he had not had any contact with Fulham. The London club, one of the wealthiest outside the Premiership thanks to injections of cash from owner Mohammed Al Fayed, are eager to strengthen their side because both Paul Peschisolido and the former United striker Paul Moody are out injured, and winger John Salako has a mystery calf problem.

It is Salako's place for which Beauchamp would be vying, if he went.

It was thought the former Crystal Palace player would be out for only a week but his calf injury is more serious than that and he's already missed nearly a month.

Fulham boss Kevin Keegan showed his determination that Fulham should not fall away from the leading group in Division 2 by signing Peter Beardsley on a further month's loan, and by yesterday signing prolific striker Geoff Horsfield for £300,000 from Halifax.

Oxford and Fulham could be working on a player-plus-cash deal with either Neil Sm ith or Steve Haywood, both midfielders, possibly coming to the Manor.

Shotton learned yesterday that key defender Phil Gilchrist will be suspended for the next home match against Sheffield United on October 24 under the totting-up procedure. Gilchrist picked up his fifth booking of the season in Saturday's home defeat by Tranmere and under new rules five yellow cards means an automatic one-game ban.

Meanwhile, sources in Derby have confirmed that Derby manager Jim Smith is keeping strong tabs on Powell, a player that his assistant Steve McClaren knows well from his time as Oxford United youth team coach.

Derby have the German Stefan Schnoor from Hamburg operating on the left of midfield and have just taken left wing back Tony Dorigo on a week's trial, but they have watched Powell half a dozen times and see him as one for the future.

"Yes, we're having a look at him and we're keeping a watch on his progress," said Smith. Shotton commented: "Nowadays Premier League clubs watch all the young players from all the clubs and what they tend to do is take them and let them become part of their set-up before bringing them into the first team, and I'd be disappointed if they weren't casting an eye over our players.

"Derby have been watching our games regularly since I've been manager but I would imagine they're watching Jamie Cook and Simoin Marsh as well as Paul."

A sale looks imminent because it is taking longer than was hoped for the agreement between the new consortium and former chairman Robin Herd for the buy-out of Herd's majority shareholding to be translated into a legally binding contract.

Although managing director Keith Cox will update shareholders at the AGM next Monday about the club's immediate future, he will not be able, for instance, to introduce the prospective new owners. With the club continuing at a monthly operating loss that, because of the transition period, neither the previous owner nor the new one are able to meet, Manor Ground chiefs are caught in the cross-fire.

Said United official Nick Wright: "Things are extremely tight and the longer that it takes for the proposed take-over to be completed the more we are bleeding.

"The club are continuing at a monthly operating loss and it's a major challenge to know how to fund that operating loss.

"It is extremely difficult for the club's senior management. The hospital pass, if you like, has been thrown to Malcolm Shotton."

However, Shotton says he has not been put under pressure to sell.

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