BIRMINGHAM City are understood to have made a £700,000 bid for Oxford's Darren Purse.

And United are considering a possible player-plus-cash exchange.

Blues' giant striker Kevin Francis was reported to be travelling to the Manor today for talks.

Birmingham boss Trevor Francis has moved in for the highly-rated Purse, who is 21 tomorrow, as Darren Wassall faces another two months on the sidelines with Achilles tendon trouble.

United manager Mal-colm Shotton refused to confirm Blues' offer, but it's understood Oxford have already accepted one bid - believed to be £800,000 - for their star defender.

It's thought other leading Division 1 clubs are also in the race to sign Purse.

Oxford, with debts running into millions of pounds, are desperate for money to ease cash-flow problems, and would have little hesitation in accepting the right offer for the former Orient captain.

Yet Shotton is keen to line up a replacement first, either for Purse or for Nigel Jemson, who was sold to Bury for £100,000 last week. The U's have been lacking a striker with height - and they don't come much taller than the 6ft 7in Kevin Francis, who has scored more than 100 league goals in nine seasons with Derby, Stock-port and Birmingham.

On the speculation surrounding Purse, Shotton said: "To be fair, bits and bobs have been flying around, but until something is sorted nothing will happen until we say so.

"They can say what-ever they want to, but at the end of the day he is our player and he will only go if it is right for this football club and for himself.

"Whether it happens in the next week or two weeks we will have to see."

Shotton added that he didn't want to sell Purse, but if he had to, he didn't want to do it until he had a replacement lined up.

Kevin Francis, 30, is out of contract in the summer and is reported to be valued at around £150,000.

He is considered surplus to requirements at St Andrews now that Birmingham have signed Dele Adebola from Crewe.

Meanwhile, skipper Mike Ford, defender Christophe Remy and winger Mark Angel are set to continue their comebacks from injury as United Reserves take on Swindon Reserves at the Manor Ground tomorrow.

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