Rumour mill picks up Kerr

Portsmouth Candidates: Brian Kerr is the among the latest crop of names to be mentioned in connection with the vacant Portsmouth job after the club's millionaire owner, Milan Mandaric, was initially rebuffed yesterday by Southampton when he requested permission to hold talks with Harry Redknapp.

Mandaric has identified a string of potential replacements for Alain Perrin, who was sacked last week. Neil Warnock has now decided to stay at Sheffield United but Crystal Palace's Iain Dowie and Rangers's embattled boss Alex McLeish are apparently also being considered for the job.

After dismissing the Frenchman, Mandaric said that he saw it as a priority that the club's next manager have an in-depth knowledge of the British game.

Now, however, Mandaric says he has widened the search still further, and he says Kerr and Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez have come into the reckoning.

"We're in the process of setting up appointments with Lawrie Sanchez and Brian Kerr," he said. "We hope to speak to them very soon to see if they would be interested."

For Kerr, the prospect of managing in the English Premiership would be a highly attractive one. Aside from the financial aspect - the job would potentially bring with it a salary of more than €1 million - the Dubliner would get the opportunity to prove himself at the highest level of club football after failing to bring the Republic of Ireland to a major international championship.

Since losing his job with the national team in October, Kerr has been loosely linked with a number of positions, and there were some preliminary talks with Hearts after the dismissal of George Burley.

It is unclear, however, whether Mandaric will actually get as far as meeting either Kerr or Sanchez, for there were strong suggestions yesterday that Redknapp is now very much his preferred choice, despite the Londoner having left Fratton Park for bitter rivals Southampton in acrimonious circumstances.

Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe yesterday refused his opposite number permission to speak to Redknapp, but Mandaric said subsequently that, "I don't think this is the end of the situation with Southampton."

Asked about his relationship with Redknapp these days, Mandaric said, "I don't have a problem with Harry. He did a tremendous job for us here and that's the main reason we'd like him to come back.

"He's very popular with our supporters and they are very important to making this decision. I've been bombarded with supporters e-mailing me about him."

But Portsmouth would probably have to pay Southampton about €250,000 in compensation to bring back Redknapp, who is believed to be keen to return to Fratton Park.

It seems Southampton will not budge on an approach for Redknapp without assurances that they will get that money if the southcoast soap opera takes its most remarkable twist yet.

Portsmouth have so far indicated no willingness to pay for Redknapp, who left them a year ago after a fall-out and soon joined their fiercest rivals. The idea then that he and Mandaric could be reunited seemed ludicrous, but this move would suit both. Though Southampton would be far from unhappy to lose Redknapp after a turbulent period there, they will demand compensation for the unexpired portion of his contract, which expires next summer.

Some at Fratton Park are believed to favour offering him a six-month deal, with his position to be reviewed according to whether the club stay up, but others want to bring him in on a longer contract.

Redknapp shot to the top of Portsmouth's list after Warnock chose to stay at Sheffield United. Warnock said there were "political issues" at Fratton Park which concerned him and that his "heart would not have been in it" despite the offer of a lucrative deal. He is understood to have harboured concerns about whether he had the support of every board member.

Sanchez was taken by surprise yesterday evening when told of Portsmouth's interest and said: "I'm flattered to be mentioned. I love the job in Northern Ireland and I want to have a go at the Euros (Euro 2008) with them.

"Whether the two jobs can be compatible is something that would need to come into consideration. I'm very committed to Northern Ireland."