SOCCER INTERNATIONAL NEWS: STEVE BRUCE may reckon a fractured cheekbone requires six weeks off but Kevin Kilbane was on to the FAI yesterday to assure them reports of his withdrawal from this week's international trip were decidedly premature.

Despite having had surgery on the facial injury he picked up in Saturday's drubbing of Hull City, Giovanni Trapattoni's first-choice left back has expressed the hope that he might be available for at least one of Ireland two opening qualifying matches and the 31- year-old will travel to Dublin this morning to be assessed by the association's medical team.

If Kilbane is declared fit to travel then there should be a full squad on board Thursday afternoon's team flight to Frankfurt, with the rest of Trapattoni's players, including Bolton's Joey O'Brien, all expected to check into the team hotel over the course of today.

For Steve Finnan the trip home will be the start of an extended spell spent living out of a suitcase with the right back having agreed a move to Spanish outfit Espanyol last night.

Though the 32-year-old had looked likely to leave Anfield since slipping down Rafa Benitez's pecking order towards the end of last season, his move to Barcelona still comes as something of a surprise.

Liverpool had been closing in on Espanyol's left-sided midfielder Albert Riera for the best part of a week but the Spaniards only appear to have taken an interest in recruiting the Irishman after selling Argentina defender Pablo Zabaleta to Manchester City over the weekend.

The fee involved has not been disclosed and with Benitez under pressure to cut costs, it may not have been hugely significant. Finnan could make his debut for his new club at Recreativo Huelgo on Sunday week and play in his first Barcelona derby before the end of the month.

"He brings balance to the right side," said Espanyol's Sporting Director, Paco Herrera, when asked about the defender on Spanish radio yesterday. "He doesn't make mistakes, gives good passes, defends well and is correct in everything he does.

"He is always worth a "seven" in ratings," he continued, "he doesn't call attention to himself, but the coach and the squad will appreciate him."

A number of other Irish players were having to wait until rather later last night to see if they might have new employers when they return from international duty against Georgia and Montenegro.

Everton were reported to be stepping up their interest in Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt, with the Merseysiders apparently bidding €4.3 million but Reading are said to be holding out for something in the region of half as much again.

Hunt had previously been a target for Sunderland but despite the player wanting to join Roy Keane, that move failed to materialise because the two clubs could not agree a fee.

Speculation persisted, meanwhile, that there would be a late bid for Kevin Doyle, with Aston Villa regarded as the most likely bidders.

The Wexfordman's hat-trick over the weekend was a timely reminder to would-be buyers although Reading manager Steve Coppell laughed off the idea that the goals would prompt an offer, insisting that a move based on the player's performance against Crystal Palace could only be interpreted as "panic buying'.

And the striker himself admitted he would be happy to see the transfer window end regardless of whether he got a move back to the Premier League.

"In a way I'll be glad when it closes," he admitted. "Mentally it's tiring, to be honest. You hear clubs might want to sign you and then they don't. It's tiring. Whatever happens I'll be glad when it's all over."

Stephen Elliott, on the other hand, was unlikely to have been relieved at midnight if his proposed switch to Preston North End hadn't gone through. The Dubliner has fallen completely out of favour at Wolves, failing to make even the bench for the opening four games of the league campaign.

Meanwhile, Shamrock Rovers striker Pádraig Amond and Brendan Moloney of Nottingham Forest have been called into the Republic of Ireland under-21 squad to face Bulgaria and Portugal this Friday and next Tuesday respectively.

They replace Ian Bermingham (UCD) and Cillian Sheridan (Celtic), both of whom have been forced to withdraw.